Podcasts about smithsonian museum

This is a Best of..... Have any questions? Please ask. The photo was taken by me on the grounds of one of the many museums of the Smithsonian.

Primarily a flameworker, Kari Russell-Pool approaches her work in a painterly fashion. She is interested in the transformation of an object into an heirloom. Made from hand-pulled glass rods, her Safety Mom Series, for example, was inspired by post-September 11 ideas of keeping a family safe. That series, in incongruously cheerful colors, is dominated by images of guns and keys, and the delicate glasswork is patterned to look like traditional needlework, which kept women's hands busy in the 18th and 19th centuries. For her Trophy Series, Russell-Pool flameworked a strikingly delicate and extremely fragile set of trophies, inspired by an NPR interview with a trophy maker, who stated that frequently people commission trophies for themselves.  In complex and decorative glass aviaries, Russell-Pool often showcases her husband and collaborative partner Marc Petrovic's glass birds, a combination that is at once technically superlative and aesthetically enchanting. Her most recent collaborative series with Petrovic – Our Distilled Life Series – examines the individual amidst the complexity of societal and global challenges and distillates them into a series of vignettes within bottles.  Russell-Pool states: “I communicate using objects as metaphors. From quilts and teapots, to sailors' valentines and cages, I am interested in the stories objects tell and how we elevate them into heirlooms. Filled with personal content and commentary about society, the hard work of relationships, and my experience as a mom, my work tells many stories. The work is autobiographical, and although objects are my vehicle, I think of them as self portraits as each series reflects the timely concerns of my life.” Russell-Pool graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1990. She has taught and exhibited all over the world, and her work has been published in Glass Magazine and American Craft Magazine. Her public collections include the American Glass Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Niijima Museum of Glass (Tokyo), the Racine Art Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art (DC), the Tacoma Museum of Glass, the Tucson Museum of Art, and the Peabody Essex Museum. Russell-Pool was awarded the Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award in 2017 and 2019. Pulling her own glass rods or canes using soft glass or traditional blowing glass, Russell-Pool can more easily incorporate blown work by Petrovic into her pieces. They gather clear glass from their melting furnace and color it by rolling the hot clear glass through powdered colored glass, and then encasing the color in another thin layer of clear. These gathers of glass are pulled into 40′ lengths while still hot, and then cut down into 1.5′ lengths. Coloring her glass this way allows Russell-Pool to both mix colors and control their densities. She uses these colored glass canes in a torch flame to sculpt petals, leaves, and small components, which she further colors using more glass powders. Having some color in the base canes allows the artist to work much as a watercolorist would, using washes to achieve subtle or dramatic color changes. Each piece begins with a design drawn out on a piece of ¼-inch clear plate glass. Russell-Pool then bends all her glass canes exactly to that pattern using a torch with a warm flame. “By layering the color and manipulating the density, our hope is the flow between the blown and flameworked glass appears effortless. In glass there is often a right way to do things. I am more a proponent of the cowboy way. The cowboy way invites invention and serves the master of the final result rather than proper technique. I am proud to be called a craftsman, because craftsmanship underlies all I do, even if I am occasionally caught being an artist.” Russell-Pool and Petrovic have collaborative work on view now as part of the Jonathan Adler Show at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City featuring Adler's ceramic work and pieces curated from the permanent collection. The show will run through April 2026. Rusell-Pool's work is also being exhibited in On Fire Part II: Surveying Women in Glass in the Late-Twentieth Century now through January 24, 2026 at Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI. An expanded version of the 2022 show offers a deeper dive into this vital period in contemporary craft by outlining the concerns of artists who explore the sculptural, visual, metaphorical, and creative potential of glass. Seen through the eyes of women, it reflects developments with the medium as an art material two and three decades after Studio Glass concepts were being implemented into university programs and contemporary practices.  

Send us a textHow do you foster community and collaboration? One way is through art and activism. And, we dive into that in this episode of Dem Bois Podcast. Today I sit down with rommy torico, a formerly undocumented queer, trans, non-binary visual artist, and they share their experiences navigating identity, survival, and self-discovery. We also discuss the impact of being undocumented on their gender journey, the importance of college as a space for exploration, the complexities of family dynamics during the coming out process, and the significance of mental health support. We talk:11:22 The Impact of Survival on Self-Discovery20:10 The Role of Chosen Family and Community24:19 Navigating Relationships and Trauma39:34 Art as a Medium for Social Justice49:31 Future Aspirations and UncertaintiesEpisode References:Past Lives (2023)Titanic (1997)Love Jones (1997)Read more about rommy in their bio below:rommy torrico is a formerly undocumented, queer, trans nonbinary visual artist born in Iquique, Chile and raised in Florida. They have been involved in social movement spaces encompassing (im)migrant, queer and trans rights struggles for over a decade and infuse much of their work with personal experience and the stories their communities share. Over the years, Torrico's work has been included in several publications and exhibited at the Getty Museum, the Smithsonian Museum, the Library of Congress and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía as well as many galleries and museums throughout the Americas and internationally.IG: @rommyyy123Donate today to support Transmasc Gender Affirming Grants and Community Wellness Packages for Trans Men of Color! The Visibility = Possibility™️ Merch is here! Introducing a groundbreaking collaboration crafted by Emilio Perdomo (featured on episode 37). This isn't just merch--it's a movement! We're empowering trans men of color with creative freedom to design their interpretation of Visibility = Possibility™. Think of it like major brands collaborating with athletes, but this time, our community takes center stage. Every purchase supports our vital programs! Craving more Connection? Dem Bois Community Voices Facebook Group is a safe, moderated sanctuary where trans men of color can connect authentically, discuss podcast episodes, share powerful experiences, and build support networks. Dem Bois YouTube Channel! - @demboisinc Exclusive content you won't find anywhere else: Behind-the-scenes magic, engaging YouTube shorts, and insider perspectives.

We're joined by Luke Barnett, President and instructor at the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute. Luke is an award-winning chairmaker, with one of his stunning Birdcage Rockers even featured in a traveling exhibit by the Smithsonian Museum. His journey is truly inspiring — from facing poverty and hardship as a child, to chairmaking, to now leading an accredited woodworking college. You won't want to miss this conversation!Luke Barnettsbwi.edubarnettchairs.comWoodworking for WarriorsMWA Podcast - Patreon Page@mwa_podcast on InstagramHosts' Contact Info:Kyle Barton@barton.kyle & @bbcustomtools on Instagrambbcustomtools.comOn Youtube under BB Custom Tools & Kyle BartonKyle Barton on FacebookSean Wisniewski@Seanw78 on most social mediaMark Hicksjointeffort.netJointeffort.net/mwa@markbuildsit on InstagramOn Youtube under Plate 11 / Joint EffortBrian Obst@obstwoodworks on Instagram

(Airdate 4/28/25) The phone lines are off the hook, and the topics are explosive. Orania is seeking recognition from the trump administration, The attacks on black history in The Smithsonian Museum, The Hundred Year Birthday of Malcolm X. And other topics are in this freewheeling podcast conversation.https://www.instagram.com/diprimaradio/https://www.instagram.com/kbla1580

In an executive order called “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” President Trump criticizes Smithsonian exhibits that examine how race interacts with power and privilege. He claims they “portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.” The executive order also threatens to take away funding from exhibitions within the Smithsonian Museum network that promote what the administration is calling “a divisive, race-centered ideology.” Under President Trump’s order, a number of federally funded museums could lose government support unless they make changes to their programming. But there are smaller organizations that are forging ahead to preserve American history—including history about race. Guest: Stephanie Johnson Toliver, the President of the Black Heritage Society of Washington Related stories: The latest battleground in the fight for America’s story - Washington Post See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The prices are going up and Trump does not care, specifically when it comes to cars. It's almost as if he has no idea what a tariff is or does to the American people. If you want to visit the Smithsonian Museums and see anything interesting, better hurry, because the Felon President is rooting out "wokeness", so you do the math. Then, do you nap? What's your definition of "a nap"? We hear from you on your napping habits! Let's wrap it all up, friends...with This Shouldn't Be A Thing - Flexing Nemo Edition As always, thank you for listening, texting and calling, we couldn't do this without you! Don't forget to download the free Civic Media app and take us wherever you are in the world! Matenaer On Air is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 10 am - noon across the state. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! You can also rate us on your podcast distribution center of choice, they go a long way! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook, X and YouTube to keep up with Jane and the show!

Trump targets the Smithsonian Museums, Classified war plans, the administration trying to take over Greenland, the Voice of America being silenced memorials of both Roy Ayers and George Foreman.

Ob Prince, Sting oder Lady Gaga: Jens Ritter baut in Deidesheim E-Gitarren für Künstler aus aller Welt. Seine Instrumente sind im Smithsonian Museum in Washington und im Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York ausgestellt.

In part two, Tilly and Ash continue their mission with Rhoda, artefact conservator and tattoo artist, to help the Hamunaptra Revitalisation Society bring back personhood into their reanimated - and potentially tattooed - mummies! In this episode, the team looks at the tools and techniques for uncovering ancient tattoos and asks why would someone tattoo a rooster on their thumb?LinksRhoda's Links:https://www.instagram.com/rhoda.tattoo/?igsh=eHk4MDF5dnh0YWZt#Tattoos and Projects Mentioned:Identifications of Iron Age Tattoos from the Altai-Sayan Mountains in Russia. Ancient Ink, The Archaeology of Tattooing.Ancient ink: Iceman Otzi has the world's oldest tattoos (Smithsonian Museum)https://exarc.net/issue-2022-3/ea/examining-physical-signatures-pre-electric-tattooing-tools-and-techniquesDStretch pluginhttps://agenda.pucp.edu.pe/evento/xi-congreso-mundial-de-estudios-sobre-momias-1Tattoo Projects and Notable Instagram links:https://www.instagram.com/archaeologyink/https://www.instagram.com/totemic_tattoo/?igsh=MWVxYzNvMmYxenpsbw%3D%3D#Link to Tea-Break Archaeology's episodes with Aaron Deter-Wolf and Danny Riday:Episode 20: Lascaux Cave: the original tattoo studioEpisode 21: Humans like decorating thingsContactEmail: andmytrowel@gmail.comInstagram: @‌and.my.trowelArchPodNetAPN Website: https://www.archpodnet.comAPN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnetAPN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnetAPN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnetTee Public Store: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/archaeology-podcast-network?ref_id=5724AffiliatesMotion

Episode 160 March 13, 2025   Themed merchandise is the way to my heart Full Circle On the Needles 2:36 ALL KNITTING LINKS GO TO RAVELRY UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.  Please visit our Instagram page @craftcookreadrepeat for non-Rav photos and info     Bay Area Yarn Crawl (not Rav link) Sock Madness season  Mystery gnome (not Rav link) Would you rather kal (not Rav link)   Succulents 2025 Blanket CAL by Mallory Krall, Hue Loco DK in Terrarium– DONE!!   Llama llama duck by Adrienne Fong, C W D: Handcrafted Products for the Mind, Body & Soul BFL Alpaca Nylon Sock in Sutro Baths   Metropolitan Pullover by Tori Yu, Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock in Rosemary, Shibui Knits Silk Cloud in Ink On the Easel 10:08 Cortney tours the Smithsonian Museums! National Gallery of Art, Natural History Museum, Sackler Gallery, Freer Gallery, Hirshhorn, National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of American Art, and back to the National Gallery of Art + East wing.   Wedding bouquet gift for Ellen. Upcoming: Daffodil Week! On the Table 19:31 Crispy Potato Tacos Recipe   Yuzu Miso Soba Noodle Soup   Flour + Water (San Francisco) pasta tasting menu   Sushi Taro (Dupont Circle. Washington D.C.) tasting menu   Preserve (Annapolis)    Zesty Artichoke Sauce from Everyday Vegetarian On the Nightstand 30:47 We are now a Bookshop.org affiliate!  You can visit our shop to find books we've talked about or  click on the links below.  The books are supplied by local independent bookstores and a percentage goes to us at no cost to you!   The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton Battle Royal and Codename Charming by Lucy Parker The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang (audio) Nobody Walks by Mick Herron (audio)  Leave the Grave Green by Deborah Crombie (audio) The Collaborators by Michael Idov  Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar  The River has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar   The Story of the Forest by Linda Grant   Eco-Lit, selections from National Museum of Natural History plus a few of my own! This list will likely grow…

COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How many tag titles have the Street Profits won (0:45)?David and Kaz fire up the mics before an early 'WWE Raw'. They discuss the following: What wrestling artifacts that would be included in the Smithsonian Museum (5:32) Rey Fenix teasers for 'SmackDown' (13:52) In honor of St. Patrick's Day, a special Irish wrestler's draft (25:46) A deep-dive on Drew McIntyre's promo on 'SmackDown' (30:50) John Cena and Cody Rhodes will be in the same building for 'Raw' (43:43) Be sure to check out our videos on BlueSky, TikTok, Instagram Threads, and X. Hosts: David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Claire de Mézerville López welcomes Nicole Garcia Diaz and Robert Gordon to this special episode of the Restorative Works! Podcast, recorded live during the IIRP Collaborative Center for Restorative Practices in Higher Education's virtual forum on December 5-6, 2024! Robert and Nicole share their personal journeys with restorative practices, highlighting how they've integrated restorative justice and community-building principles into their respective campuses. From fostering inclusive, intersectional spaces at Hampshire College to reshaping student conduct processes at the University of Maryland, both guests emphasize the importance of embracing values rooted in restorative practices as a holistic approach to community engagement and institutional change. Throughout the discussion, the guests reflect on the recent sessions at the forum that resonated most with their work. Nicole focuses on the importance of honoring restorative practices' indigenous roots and the ethical responsibility practitioners have in upholding its traditions. Meanwhile, Robert underscores the necessity of community-building across cultural lines and the role of restorative principles in transforming campus cultures. Both emphasize that restorative practices are not just tools or methodologies but a way of being that shapes how we interact and move through the world. Nicole Garcia Diaz is the restorative justice specialist and manager for Rights and Responsibilities at the University of Maryland, College Park where she has led the integration of restorative practices and restorative justice within the university. Passionate about intentional philosophical alignment and practicing restorative justice with respect to its indigenous roots, Nicole has focused on slowly shifting the University's culture in the direction of these values. Nicole also serves on the University's Hate Bias Response Team, facilitates the Latina/x/es in Higher Education Affinity Group, is a yoga instructor, and volunteers with the Smithsonian Museum of the American Latino. Originally from Miami, Florida, Nicole graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Miami, a Master of Education in Student Affairs from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Graduate Certificate in Restorative Justice Facilitation and Leadership from the University of San Diego. Robert Gordon is a restorative practitioner and implementor at Hampshire College. He has worked with several offices and departments throughout the college to deepen institutional awareness and utilization of a restorative practices-based mindset. Particularly, his work with campus identity centers has brought together staff and students of different social identities using intersectional forms of community building. In terms of restorative practices, Robert has received professional development from the IIRP, as well as the American Association of Colleges and Universities Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation framework. Tune in to hear about the challenges and rewards of implementing restorative justice in colleges and universities and learn how these practices can pave the way for more inclusive, supportive, and collaborative academic environments.

On this episode, we are joined by Nedra McDaniel from Adventure Mom, who is passionate about having attainable adventures at every stage of life. We are sharing some of our favorite places to go for Spring Break in the USA. You can follow Nedra on her blog, and on social media as @adventuremom on Instagram, Facebook, and others. Expedia recently shared some travel trends for 2024 showing that March is the most expensive month to fly, so if your spring break is in March, you may want to consider a road trip! If you are looking for a cheap airfare, use Google Flights from your airport and put "anywhere" as the destination so that you can sort by price. Spring Break Destinations Florida Keys - is not oppressively hot and humid like it is in the summer. Hawk's Cay in Duck Key is a great location for families. You can take a day trip to Key West and enjoy a wide variety of water sports. Plan a Florida Keys road trip: https://we3travel.com/florida-keys-roadtrip/ Daytona Beach / New Smyrna, Florida - "You have grown up and Daytona Beach has too", it is no longer a party spring break destination but very family friendly. You can go pedal kayaking, climb the Ponce Inlet lighthouse, eco boat tours, see manatees, Daytona racetrack tour, and you can drive on the beach. See more things to do at Daytona Beach: https://adventuremomblog.com/things-to-do-daytona-beach-and-ponce-inlet-fl/ and some of the themed attractions in Daytona: https://adventuremomblog.com/racing-themed-attractions-in-daytona-beach-fl/ Caribbean Cruises - some leave from Florida and some visit Florida ports of call. Just keep in mind that the cruise ships, especially the pools and kids clubs, will be crowded during prime spring break weeks. Read about Kim's spring break onboard Holland America last year: https://stuffedsuitcase.com/review-caribbean-cruise-on-holland-america-nieuw-statendam/ Washington D.C. - Spring break is often Cherry Blossom season and a popular time to visit. For some museums you can arrange timed-entry tickets and many of the Smithsonian Museums are free. D.C. has a great metro system so that you can stay further out to save money and use the Metro to get around. See Tamara's Washington D.C. itinerary: https://we3travel.com/washington-dc-itinerary/ Gatlinburg, TN - Smoky Mountains National Park is free and offers plenty of hiking, be sure to drive or bike Cades Cove Loop, there are also quirky adventures like zorbing, alpine slides, mountain coasters, treetop adventure courses, and Hillbilly Golf. Plus there are so many themed restaurants and shows, along with Dollywood theme park. See Nedra's suggestions for unique adventures in the Smoky Mountains: https://adventuremomblog.com/unique-adventures-try-smoky-mountains/ Phoenix / Scottsdale - spring break is also spring training for Major League Baseball and you can get great ticket prices to watch games in the Cactus League. There are also world-class spas, great brunch spots, and hiking. In the spring the desert is in bloom and beautiful. Scottsdale getaway: https://stuffedsuitcase.com/scottsdale-girls-weekend-itinerary/ Las Vegas - you can use Las Vegas as a base and then explore some of the national parks in the area. It is especially good if you can do Bryce, Zion, and the Grand Canyon midweek and explore the city on the weekends. The Pinball Museum and the Neon Sign Museum are fun and for older teens, try a food tour. See tips for hiking the Narrows: https://adventuremomblog.com/hike-the-narrows-for-an-incredible-adventure-at-zion-national-park/. See more unique adventures in Vegas: https://adventuremomblog.com/7-unique-bucket-list-adventures-in-las-vegas/. And ways to explore from Flagstaff: https://adventuremomblog.com/grand-canyon-beyond-from-the-flagstaff-koa-holiday/ Little St. Simons Island, GA - for families looking for a unique all-inclusive here in the US, Little St. Simons Island is a private island and nature reserve off the coast of Georgia and it is perfect for nature lovers. See Tamara's review: https://we3travel.com/little-st-simons-island-all-inclusive-resort/ Southern California - the weather is great and there is so much to do. Huntington Beach is great if you want to learn to surf. San Diego has the zoo and museums. Plus there are the theme parks. It is also a good season for whale and dolphin watching. See Kim's Southern California itinerary: https://stuffedsuitcase.com/one-week-southern-california-itinerary-disneyland/ Destin, Florida - you can go online and find adventure packs with moms who can consult with you on things to do. You can bike on 30A, go paddle boarding, or go indoors at the underwater-themed bowling alley. Learn more about the adventure packs: https://adventuremomblog.com/why-families-love-destin-fort-walton-beach-adventure-packs/. See more things to do in Destin: https://adventuremomblog.com/things-to-do-destin-florida/ Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama - also on the Gulf of Mexico not too far from Destin, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach has that same gorgeous white sand, blue-green water, and calm surf. There are tons of fun activities, great food, and cool, family-friendly beach bars. See more things to do in Orange Beach: https://we3travel.com/things-to-do-in-orange-beach-and-gulf-shores-alabama/   Related Episodes Kim's Holland America spring break cruise Southwest Grand Circle road trip Kim and Tamara's trip to Oceanside, California Kim and Tamara's Florida Keys trip Las Vegas with kids Kim and Tamara's trip to Scottsdale, Arizona

Michael Krasny interviewed Professor Greg Sarris, Chair of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. This was the fourth interview sponsored by the Bill Lane Center for the American West.The dialogue began with Krasny asking Sarris his views on what separated Indians of the West from Indians of other regions in America. The conversation then moved into discussions about Indian casinos and the uses of their resources, online gaming, and the Wild West. They also explored Sarris's compelling personal story, including the influence of a remarkable medicine woman and basket weaver on his life. They discussed the effects of both personal and historic trauma.The conversation turned to the challenges of legal rights, as well as the psychological and generational problems facing Native people. They examined the importance of storytelling and the work of various American Indian writers. Later, Krasny shared an anecdote about mentioning Native American writer Tommy Orange's name in Maui and sought Sarris's views on cultural appropriation.Responding to a listener's question, Sarris discussed sovereignty and race versus treaties. He also addressed Indian poverty, life expectancy, and life on the reservations. Their discussion covered Indian stereotypes, and Sarris elaborated on the effect of nature on Indians and their need for connection.Krasny inquired about Sarris's role on the U.C. Board of Regents and his Jewish identity through his mother. The two concluded this rich and manifold dialogue with a discussion of Indians, the American West, and environmental stewardship.

******Support the channel****** Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao   ******Follow me on****** Website: https://www.thedissenter.net/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/ Twitter: https://x.com/TheDissenterYT   This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/   Dr. Thaís Pansani is an Associate Researcher at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Her main research questions are about human interaction with the Pleistocene megafauna in the Americas and the peopling of the Americas. She is interested in questions like: When did humans arrive in the Americas? Did humans interact with the Pleistocene megafauna? What were the environmental and ecological conditions in which these megamammals lived? What were the causes and consequences of the megafauna extinction in the American continent, especially in South America? How can we identify traces of human interaction in extinct animal bones through taphonomy and zooarchaeology?   In this episode, we focus on H. sapiens' migrations to (and within) the Americas. We discuss the timing of the migrations, whether we were the only hominin species to get there, and why we migrate. We then talk about megafauna in the Americas; interactions between humans and megafauna (with a focus on hunting); zooarchaeology, and the study of marks on animal bones; and the extinction of megafauna might have been the result of human activity. Finally, we discuss some of the most interesting unanswered questions in paleoanthropology. -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, JERRY MULLER, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, EDWARD HALL, HEDIN BRØNNER, DOUGLAS FRY, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, PAUL-GEORGE ARNAUD, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ANTON ERIKSSON, ALEX CHAU, AMAURI MARTÍNEZ, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, IGOR N, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, BARNABAS RADICS, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, NIKLAS CARLSSON, GEORGE CHORIATIS, VALENTIN STEINMANN, PER KRAULIS, KATE VON GOELER, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, MASOUD ALIMOHAMMADI, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, ERIK ENGMAN, LUCY, YHONATAN SHEMESH, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, PEDRO BONILLA, CAROLA FEEST, AND STARRY! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, AL NICK ORTIZ, NICK GOLDEN, AND CHRISTINE GLASS! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MATTHEW LAVENDER, SERGIU CODREANU, BOGDAN KANIVETS, ROSEY, AND GREGORY HASTINGS!

Today's episode is dedicated to a gem that is probably more famous for the rumors and often false history surrounding it then its own beauty... The Hope Diamond.  The Hope Diamond is now known to have been cut from a gem owned by the Royal Family of France and looted during the early days of the revolution.  A lore of the cure of the Hope Diamond made it famous and it now resides in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. where it can be visited by the public.  Take a listen to our podcast and learn a bit about the history of the stone and the rumors of the curse that is supposed to follow it.

Akeem Shannon approached me a few months ago about being a guest on Unstoppable Mindset. His email subject line included mentioning his road to being a contestant on Shark Tank. I had a feeling that he had an interesting story to tell and I was right. Akeem grew up in St. Louis where he attended a Catholic high school on scholarship. Well, actually he lost the scholarship, but with the help of his mother he got it back.   Akeem's problem was that he didn't really learn from his first scholarship Debacle. After high school he enrolled at Howard University, yes on scholarship. After two semesters he again lost a scholarship due to his own lack of enthusiasm. This time he was too embarrassed to tell his parents until, that is, he couldn't hide the scholarship loss anymore.   Akeem was always good at sales and so he went to work selling and, I might add, successfully. However, what he wasn't recognizing was that he was experiencing severe depression. Eventually this caught up with him and with the help of a therapist he began to move to a better life place. You will hear his story told in a very personal and articulate way.   Skipping ahead, Akeem invented a cell phone accessory called the Flipstik.  As he tried to grow his company and secure a place for his product he eventually got the opportunity to pitch on Shark Tank. I will leave it to him to tell the story.   I can hardly wait to see what next adventure Akeem will undertake. Clearly he speaks well and plans to tell his story to the world. We get to be among the first to experience his style, persevering manner and his unstoppable mindset.       About the Guest:   Akeem Shannon's journey is a testament to resilience and unwavering determination. Raised in St. Louis by artistic and entrepreneurial parents, Akeem initially faced academic challenges during his Chemical Engineering studies at Howard University, losing his scholarship due to poor performance. However, he rebounded by excelling in sales at Fortune 500 companies and a FinTech firm, saving over $90,000 in five years. Despite success, Akeem felt unfulfilled and sought a greater purpose. Inspired by "The Alchemist," he stumbled upon a transformative idea after learning about NASA's gecko-inspired adhesive from his uncle—an idea that birthed Flipstik, a groundbreaking phone accessory. His entrepreneurial journey saw him navigate Kickstarter, a missed chance at Shark Tank, and a serendipitous encounter with Sean Diddy Combs, ultimately landing him a spot on the show in 2020. Despite initial setbacks, Akeem's resilience paid off with Flipstik's exponential growth, achieving a 1000% surge in 2022, securing nationwide distribution in major retailers like Target, BestBuy, AT&T, and more. Beyond business success, Akeem remains dedicated to fostering inclusivity in entrepreneurship, mentoring through various organizations and partnering with The Brookings Institute to address venture capital disparities. His inspiring story is showcased at the Smithsonian Museum and recognized by INC Magazine. Akeem Shannon epitomizes the spirit of perseverance, innovation, and a commitment to empowering others.   Ways to connect with Akeem:   On Tiktok, Youtube, Instagram: @akeemshannon and @getflipstik   Listeners can reach Akeem by texting the word CONNECT to 314-789-9005 Akeem Shannon Founder, CEO | Flipstik Inc. Book a Meeting     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:20 well and a gracious Hello to everyone. Wherever you happen to be, I am your host, Mike Hinkson, and you are listening and watching unstoppable mindset, the podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet, and we love the unexpected. That's what we get to talk about more than anything else. As I love to say, unexpected is anything that doesn't directly deal with inclusion or diversity, and that's what we do. So here we are, and I get to talk today with a man who I've learned to admire a lot. He is an entrepreneur by any standard. He doesn't let things knock him down and slow him down. His name is Akeem Shannon, and Akeem is a person who's developed a very interesting product that we're going to talk about a little bit. But more than talking about the product, we're going to talk about how he got to the product, what he does with it, where he's going in the future, and any other unexpected things that come along that that I'm not thinking of. So Akeem Welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here.   Akeem Shannon ** 02:33 Hey, Michael, thanks for having me on. I'm excited to be here. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 02:38 cool. Well, why don't we start, if we can by you telling us a little bit about kind of the early Akeem growing up and all that sort of stuff.   Akeem Shannon ** 02:49 Yeah, so, you know, I grew up the middle of the country, Saint Louis, Missouri, you know, grew up in a Christian home, you know, typical midwesterner type of vibe. And, you know, I remember I went off to college, excuse me, went off to high school, and I went off to a Catholic school because our local public school was terrible, and I got a scholarship, and I get a scholarship to go to high school, and I lose the scholarship. This is like sophomore year, and my parents could not afford to send me to this Catholic school without the scholarship. And so I had to beg and plead with the admissions director Miss Givens to convince her to kind of, you know, move some numbers around in the computer so that I wouldn't lose my scholarship. And she was like, Akeem, if I do this, you better get your grades up and and that I did, and so I went on to earn a full scholarship to go to Howard University in Washington, DC, to study chemical engineering. So did you lose the   Michael Hingson ** 03:49 scholarship in high school because of grades?   Akeem Shannon ** 03:52 Oh, yeah, my grades   Michael Hingson ** 03:55 were my homework. You weren't sick into it?   Akeem Shannon ** 03:58 No, not at all. And, you know, there was really no reason for I just, I just didn't want to do the work. Didn't turn assignments in, you know? And so my dad told me when I went off to college, he's like, don't pull the same crap you pulled in high school, or you're gonna be right here at home. And I was like, that's never gonna happen, you know, I'm gonna it'll be fine. And so I go off to college. Now I gotta, you know, I picked my grades up. I was, you know, I got a scholar full scholarship for college, chemical engineering, Howard University. But here's the thing, I hated chemistry. The only reason I was in chemical engineering is because I read an article that said, oh, you know, chemical engineering is going to be the highest paid career of the next decade. So it's like, Okay, I'll do that. Get to college. Don't like chemistry, not going to class, not turning assignments, and two semesters in academic probation.   Michael Hingson ** 04:57 Oh, boy, no. What year was? What year was?   Akeem Shannon ** 05:01 Us this, oh man, this is 2011 Okay, great. Okay, so it's 2000   Michael Hingson ** 05:08 academic probation.   Akeem Shannon ** 05:11 Oh man, and I did everything I could to hide the fact that I was on academic probation for my parents, because I had convinced myself I was dulu, convinced myself that I was going to be able to somehow figure it out and talk my way in to keep my scholarship, just like I had done in high school. So I went back up to the school my third semester, even though I knew I was on probation. They're like, No Hakeem, you're not just on probation. You've lost your scholarship, you're done. You got no money here. You got to pay full price if you want to stay. And man, and my parents didn't know a thing because I hid my school grades from them. I made sure my teachers couldn't email them. I was sneaky, and I didn't I just couldn't face the failure. You know, I couldn't face that I had lost this scholarship. And so I go back up to the school, and I literally squatted in the dorm for a whole semester. I wasn't even supposed to be in the dorm. Hadn't paid. No one at the school knew that I had lost my scholarship, and then I was not going to class, and I literally just sat in the room, and I didn't know at the time, but I was facing severe depression and severe anxiety, staying up all night, sleeping all day. It was a very difficult time. And eventually, you know, the semester's coming to the end, I gotta tell my parents, the school's like, you're not we're not letting you in this dorm room next semester, just so you know. And I had to call him as right before Christmas, called my parents and was like, I can't come back next semester. I haven't been to class all semester. Hardest phone call ever had to make.   Michael Hingson ** 06:50 So So is it safe to say you didn't learn from your first mistake and you repeated it? Or what do you think now?   Akeem Shannon ** 07:01 Well, you know, yeah, you're absolutely right. And you know what it was, I got away with very little pain. You know, the first time around, I lost it, but I just, I went to the missions director, and she just fixed it for me, so I didn't face any consequences, other than my parents were upset for a week, but since I got my scholarship, you know, they didn't have too much to be upset about. So, yeah, I mean, I didn't learn my lesson the first time, so I had to learn it again, and the second time, it was a much harder lesson. So   Michael Hingson ** 07:35 what did your parents say when you told them around Christmas, ooh, well,   Akeem Shannon ** 07:39 on the phone, they were nice because I think they were afraid that I was suicidal or something, because they were real nice on the phone, but when I got back home, oh, they let me have it. They were pissed, but they were mostly disappointed because I didn't even ask for help. I didn't call to ask them to make a phone call. They were like, we could have tried to talk to admissions. We could have tried to get you other scholarship. We could have, we knew some people that worked at the university. They're like, we could have done so many things, and you didn't ask anyone for help, and you just, you just were on your own. And you know, growing up an only child, I didn't I never wanted to disappoint my parents, and so I felt like a total disappointment and failure, and so I hid that failure, and I had to learn through that experience that that was not, that was not the right move to make.   Michael Hingson ** 08:31 Yeah, and it's, it's tough. I mean, pride is something that we all have. But you, you also said that you didn't realize that you were in a Great Depression, right?   Akeem Shannon ** 08:46 Yes, like, you know, I didn't necessarily have the words for it at the time. Yeah, you know, it's 2011 it wasn't quite as trendy as it is now to, like, focus on mental health. So I didn't know what was wrong with me. I just knew that I was, you know, not in it. And I just remember like I was in a it was like I was in a daze, because I felt so bad every single day, um, but I didn't tell anybody, and I didn't want anyone to know. So when I walked out the door my dorm room, I put on a big smile, act like nothing was wrong, like I've been in class, I didn't say anything to anyone. And so I think the fact that I bottled it up and didn't let anyone in it made it, you know, 100 times worse than if I had to ask for some help. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 09:36 so you came home in Christmas 2011 and Santa probably put coal in your stocking or something like that.   09:46 I didn't get nothing. You didn't. He didn't even   Michael Hingson ** 09:48 give you coal, huh? Oh my gosh, Boy, you really were I   Akeem Shannon ** 09:52 got told to, oh, get a job.   Michael Hingson ** 09:56 You were on the naughty list all the way around.   Akeem Shannon ** 09:59 I. Was on big naughty list. So what did you do? So, you know, I came home, my parents are like, Look, you need to get back in school and you need to get a job. And so I enrolled in community college, and I got a job, and I started working in a retail store, retail cell phone shop, Sprint, which is now T Mobile. And so I start, I always loved phones, right? I was a big tech nerd, and so now I was working a shop. I was gonna get a brand new, nice, high end phone for the first time in my life. So I was like, Okay, it's not so bad. And I started doing sales, and I was really good at it. And I had always been the kid that, you know, sold all the stuff to win the competition at school, like so I knew I had that talent, but being in the workplace and really being able to exercise that capability, you know, it was the first for me. And so I start doing really well. I get promoted, becoming what they call the key holder, which is like a manager, and things are going pretty well, but I'm still living at home. You know, I'm probably making a little bit of money, but I had made myself this promise when I got home, I said, by the time my friends graduate high school, I want to be making as much as the average college graduate. And I think at the time, was about 4035, $40,000 and I wasn't quite there yet. It was like, at $38,000 so I'm like, I got some ways to go. And then comes an opportunity from a former manager of mine who said, Hey, I'm at Verizon in a call center, and I'm a manager. We're paying these people crazy money, and if you come here, you'll make two, maybe three times what you're making now, say, what? So I quit my job against my parents advice, because they're like you, you've already failed. You can't quit a job that you you getting promoted at. You can't do that. I said, No, I gotta go. And so I go work in for Verizon, the call centers on the best decisions I ever made, because I instantly doubled the amount of money I was making, and all of a sudden I'm making big, big commission checks. And not only am I making the big commission checks, but it turns out they had this big contest that they were going to have called Verizon rock star. And this contest was a pitch competition to pitch Verizon's family and services. Who could pitch it the best. And so I entered the competition, and I win in my in my small group, I win at the conference level, the regional level, and I get to the finals, and they fly all the finalists down to Miami, Florida, to the Fountain Blue hotel, the most fabulous hotels in all of Miami Beach. And they have all this signage everywhere. It says rock star. Verizon logos are everywhere, and they have this brilliant concept where they would have all the Verizon employees who were there to watch all these executives, they would have to get autographs from the people competing in the competition. So people are running up to me in the hotel, asking me for my autograph. There's signs that say Verizon, rock star. So all the guests at the hotel, think of a celebrity, and I would go on to win this entire competition. And when I tell you, Michael, it was like I finally felt I've recovered. This was about three years after leaving school, and for the first time, I felt comfortable enough to call up my high school friends and tell them, hey, you know, I'm not in school anymore. I had to drop out. I lost my scholarship. But look at me now. Look what I've accomplished, and it would it really showed, showed me that you know is when you fail, as long as you don't give up, you have the opportunity to level up, and I felt like I had actually leveled up. It was feeling really confident and on a high at that point in my life.   Michael Hingson ** 13:47 So where was your depression in all this by the time that three years in the contest was over?   Akeem Shannon ** 13:56 So, you know, at the time, I thought it had disappeared, right? I wasn't feeling anything. I was feeling great. I felt like I recovered. I'm like, Oh, I'm doing great. It's all good now. But it wasn't true. See this, this was in summertime. I want to say 2014 I was in summertime. Then comes Thanksgiving. Mom was out of town. Had Thanksgiving with my dad, and then I was house sitting for my own about an hour and a half away from where I live, and so I'm in the house all alone, not in my own home, Thanksgiving night, and I'm watching a movie, and Liam Neeson comes on, and he's like, you know, when you die, It's not your life that flashes before your eyes, but it's remembering all the regrets that you have, and this overwhelming sense of anxiety just cuts into my gut, and I have this massive panic attack, and I get really tight. My stomach starts to get shredded, and I'm. Starting to freak out, because I haven't felt this way ever. It was the worst, most excruciating stomach pain I ever felt, and I didn't know exactly what's happened. I didn't even call it anxiety when it first started, but it went on for one hour, two hours, three hours, and eventually I'm like, I think maybe I'm having anxiety. And so eventually, you know, I'm trying to go to sleep, and I just as I was having trouble falling asleep, I told myself, I used to have zero sympathy for people who committed suicide. I used to think, How could someone commit suicide? How could they do that to their family? But in this moment, it feeling, this feeling, I was like, You know what? I've only this has been going on for three hours. If this was going on for three years, 30 years, I may kill myself too, because this is, this is hard. So I wake up the next morning and I'm like, I'm fine. I'm like, wow, that was weird. You know, won't be watching anymore Liam Neeson movies and tell you that much. And I think I'm okay in about 30 seconds after I wake up, boom, it hits me again, massive anxiety, and it goes on the next day and the next day, every single day, gut wrenching pain in my stomach all day long. This goes on for a week. Eventually I can't sleep anymore. I remember I probably stayed up four or five days straight, no sleep, not one hour, not 30 minutes, 10 nothing. And I was just I was I was terrified, because I had never even, even when I lost my scholarship, I had never experienced something like this. And I didn't know what it was. I was financially stable. I was feeling good about my life. I didn't know what was wrong. I knew I was just in the night, and I go to work, and my boss, who, who was a a friend of mine, but at this point, was like, King, you know, you're not hitting your numbers. You're the rock star. Like, what's going on? You're you're off. And I said, Dude, I just have not been feeling good. I've been sleeping. He's like, You need to go see my therapist. And he had just went through a mental episode of his own, and I had never seen a therapist. And you know, if you grow up in a black family in America, most black families like you don't need a therapist. You go to church. If they don't say, go to church, listen this man up. You know you'll be fine. You don't need a therapist. And so, you know, I had, I was just like, I don't know, Curtis, you know, he's like, No, you need to go see a therapist. So he gives me a number, call her up a go see her. And I talked to him like, oh, you know, I just think I'm stressed at work. I just need some time off and I'll be fine. You know, if you write me a note, I'll register for family medical leave, and I'll be fine, just work stress. And at the very end, I'm like, and by the way, you know I'm I think I'm gay and but no one knows, but it's not really a big deal. That's not why I'm here. It's really the work is the problem. And she's like, okay, so I leave anxiety every single day. Curtis again, is like a king. You need to go back to the therapist. You are not okay. And so I go back and I see her again. Curtis, my boss, had written me a note saying, No, you gotta go. You're not. You can't your head's not in the game. And so I go see the therapist again, and she's like, so do you want to talk for real this time?   Michael Hingson ** 18:20 Nothing like somebody who talks directly to you and doesn't doesn't, uh, mince words.   Akeem Shannon ** 18:26 Oh, not at all. And she was a, she was a older Christian woman, and that scared me, because I'm, you know, I grew up, grandfather was a Christian minister. Grew up in a Christian family. I'm like, if I tell this woman I'm gay, she's probably going to say, I can't even be in I can't even come see her anymore. And so I talked to her again, and she's like, she's like, you know, there was something you talked about at the end of our last session, and you blew over it like it didn't even matter. And so I talked to her, and really just poured my heart. I was like, Yeah, I've been dealing with this my entire life. Up, you know, I figured I'm already black in America. I don't want to be gay too. I don't need a secondary burden. And she's like, You got to be who you are, and your brain and your body is telling you that if you don't, it's shutting you down as you can, as you've clearly witnessed. And so you know, having her be so accepting of me and telling me that it's okay to be just who I am, and I always had this big fear that if I came out to people, that people wouldn't like me. And I'm a salesperson, right? I'm a top salesperson, so I need people to like me. And, you know, I always just had this big fear that people would treat me differently, and the fact that she treated me the same and treated me kindly and with compassion, it gave me hope that, you know, maybe I've been wrong about this. And so I decided that day I'm going to come up to my parents. That's the first step. It's been 22 years. I can't wait any longer, and so I had to go in order to, in order to get when you're in a union shop, and in order to, in order to get full pay when you're on. Medical leave you have to get, if to go to a hospital, you gotta get a doctor's certified note that's just a therapist if it's a mental health issue. So I go to the the mental hospital, they check me in and and I tell them, hey, look, I think this is my problem. Then come out to my parents today. By the way, it's my dad's birthday. Probably going to be a show, but it's been too long, and I gotta get it off my chest. And I remember the nurse, and she's writing me all these prescriptions, one for the anxiety, one for the depression, one to remove stabilizers. She's like, I don't know if it's a good idea for you to tell your dad that today, on his birthday, can't you just wait until tomorrow? And I said, No, I cannot. Don't put off tomorrow what you can do today. And so I went home terrified my father's birthday, we're having cake and ice cream. And I remember, right before I worked up the courage to say something, my dad was watching James Corden on TV and and he's like, you know, I think James Gordon is really funny. I like carpool karaoke. He's like, but I don't understand something. Why does he act so gay? He's married. And I'm like, Oh God, this is gonna be a disaster. My parents are gonna disown me. This is gonna be terrible. But eventually I muster up the courage. I said, Guys, you remember I when I called you from from college and had a very difficult conversation, and they're like, yeah, it was like, this is going to be another one of those conversations. And so I tell them, and my mom was crying, my dad's got the look of disappointment on his face, and even though I could tell like it was going to be a long road, and it was a long road. The first thing my dad said was, I always told your mother you were probably gay, and Lily's like, I just don't understand why you decided to go tell a therapist before you told us.   Michael Hingson ** 21:59 There you go. And   Akeem Shannon ** 22:00 and, you know, for someone from his generation, that was about as accepting of a moment as I could have wished for. And over the course of the next few years, we built a much stronger relationship and become closer than ever. And it was just another one of those things where here I was hadn't learned this lesson of don't go it alone. Don't bottle up your emotions. It doesn't work that way. Your body will shut you down when you put all of that stress, that emotional stress, on your body and you you block your creativity and your capability, your body just gives up your brain, your heart says enough is enough, and so once again, I was surprised by the the the accepting this, and not just my parents, but when I told my friends, when I told acquaintances, when I told people in the workplace, it just lifted a burden, and it opened up my mind to be able To focus on other things, because I had spent so many years using half of my energy to pretend to be someone I wasn't, so that I so that people wouldn't know the truth. Did   Michael Hingson ** 23:10 you know you were gay? Or did it take you a long time to really figure that out?   Akeem Shannon ** 23:15 Oh no, I knew. I knew from when I was like eighth grade, but I buried it deep. I said, No, I'm not going to do that. I because I grew up knowing, thinking that you know you're going to hell if you're gay, yeah, point blank, period, it's the most evil thing you can be. And ultimately, that upbringing, combined with that breakthrough would lead me to the spiritual awakening that I needed to ultimately break through from, from, from all of those drugs and move stabilizers and stuff that they had prescribed me.   Michael Hingson ** 23:49 So now at this time, you were still working at Verizon,   23:53 correct, uh huh.   Michael Hingson ** 23:56 All right. And so what year was this? Now, when all this happened? So I   Akeem Shannon ** 24:01 want to say this is 20. We're now moving into 2015 Okay, that's next year, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 24:07 okay, so I kind of wanted to go through all of this, because I know where we're headed with it, but I think this is very important for people to hear what what did you then do?   Akeem Shannon ** 24:20 So, you know, here I was, I had come back to work, but I'm on these, all these different pills, and I'm feeling better, but I'm also feeling kind of numb. It's not I'm not having anxiety and depression, but I'm not having excitement and elation either, right? It's just very even toned, and I didn't quite pick up on it right away, but I remember one time I forgot to take my medicine, particularly one of the mood stabilizers, before I went to work, and I started having massive anxiety at work, and I do it back home, and then I took it, and that's when I first started to realize. Just like, Oh my gosh. I think my body is become dependent on these drugs, on the drugs, yeah, in order to stabilize my mood and then not have these feelings. Because here I am addressing a lot of concerns, but I'm still not in a good place. And so, you know, fast forward a couple months, and it's the end of the fiscal year, and they have a big award ceremony for the people who are, like, the top 1% of the company. And I was one of them. And, you know, typically we get to go on a big trip and very lavish, but since our division was going to be sold off to another company, we've stayed. We just got a check. And so they come around with a big check. I want to say it was like $15,000 it's a huge check. And they come to my desk, got the confetti cannon. People are cheering. They give me the check done. And this girl was sitting beside me, Brittany. And now Brittany was always a problem. Okay? She was always tattletale, you know, always causing me issues. And Brittany looks at me with an attitude, and she goes, hmm, you don't look like somebody that just got $15,000 you not even smiling. And at first I was like, Brittany, don't talk to me. But then I was like, Oh, wait, I think Brittany is right. Something's still wrong. How is it that this has happened to me four years ago, I was broke, and now I'm getting a $15,000 check and I'm not even smiling. Something's wrong. And that night, I was like, I gotta stop taking these drugs, and I'm not having you know, listen, people who are prescribed medicine by the doctor, I'm not saying they shouldn't take it, but I knew that for me, I was running away from these emotions that I needed to have, and I was slowly overcoming a lot of the things that were causing the emotions. But as long as I was taking the drugs, I couldn't have any additional breakthroughs of what it was that was, was, was was causing me this discomfort inside. I had basically turned down my alarm system that was really awakening to the fact that something was wrong. And so I quit cold turkey, which I do not advise. And when I tell you that so much anxiety and depression flood in. Oh, my gosh. It was horrible. And I was like, Oh, this is, this is what happens when people stop taking drugs. It's hard. And man, that night was just one of the it was this one of the scariest nights of my life. But it ended up also being the most profound, because that night I was in so much agony, I was like, I need something. I'm not gonna take these drugs, but I need something. So I called my buddy up. I said, Yo, bro, let me get a joint. I need some weed or something. Like, I'm freaking out over here. And I was like, the worst thing I could do, because then the weed cause you to have even more anxiety. And so I'm sitting there that night and I'm just freaking out, and I'm just having this crisis, like, what am I doing with my life? What's happening? You know, our division is getting ready to shut down, and I end up having this profound spiritual experience where my uncle would give me a book about angels. I hadn't read the book, but I read the back cover, and it talked about how angels weren't these floating people in the sky with wings, but instead, they were signs from God, from the universe, and they could be as simple as a song on the radio. Are your lights flickering? It could be just something to show you what it is you need to do next and that night and all that anxiety as I'm pacing around my apartment, every light in my entire apartment shuts off, pitch black. I'm looking around. I'm like, did the power guard? I look out the window, everyone else's power is on. I see my PlayStation, its little light is on. I go to the switch, I flick it off, it's now off, but it was on. Then I flick it back on, all the lights come back on. I freak out. And I'm like, what is happening? And that night, I ended up having this spiritual moment where I felt like for the first time, I heard God's voice speaking to me, and that voice said to me, you hate me because you think I hate you, but you never asked me what I think, and it lifted this burden that was still there from childhood, that, yes, I had come out, and I was moving through life, and people were accepting me, but I still felt deep inside like, well, they say God hates me, and I don't like that. And in that moment, I think finally, that burden fully lifted off of me, and it allowed me to not just just be free of that, but it then gave me the capability to go in and really search my spirituality. So I start reading, reading all these books, and I start hearing about the the law. Of attraction. I never heard of this thing, law of attraction before. And hear about an abundance mindset, and I start learning about meditation and what meditation can do for you. And I tried all these things because I was coming off of being dependent on all these mood stabilizers and lithium and all this stuff. And so I needed something else to replace it, and it came for me from doing meditation, practicing yoga, going for walks with my dog, and man, it just opened my eyes. I start reading books like Think and Grow Rich, and all of a sudden, like I'm realizing not only was I bothered by the fact that I wasn't being true to myself and my sexuality, but I wasn't being true to myself in terms of my dreams and aspirations, because I wanted to be more than a salesperson, and being a salesperson was no longer enough for me. And so it was with that feeling and emotion that I quit Verizon before we merged into the new company, and I decided to go and start a business, but I was terrified. I was terrified I want to start a cooking business. I invested a little bit of my savings into it. I saved up quite a bit of money over the years and but I just wasn't there yet. Mentally, I was not prepared to truly believe in myself. And so after about six months of doing some part time work on a political campaign. This is 2016 doing some part time work on a political campaign, I get a phone call from square the people that make cash app, they're like, Hey, we're opening up an office. You're a top salesperson. Come work for us. And I'd always wanted to work for a tech company, and so I, instead of pursuing my dreams and my career, I got I was afraid. And so I said, No, let me go do what's safe. And I went to work for square. But it was one of the best decisions I ever made, because I got to work with entrepreneurs every day, and every time I would work with an entrepreneur and see what they were able to accomplish more and more. It gave me the confidence in myself that I could do it, and I got to be a part of an organization that really treated employees well and showed me what it was like to grow and scale a business. But ultimately, that same feeling came back of I'm not satisfied in my life, that anxiety starts to creep in, that depression starts to seep in. I'm not satisfied with where I'm at anymore, and ultimately I end up quitting again. So this is now the third job of quit. I end up quitting again, and I'm like, I'm going to start a business. And luckily, that time I quit, my boss gave me a book called The Alchemist, and that book would go on to change my life.   Michael Hingson ** 32:42 Tell us about that.   Akeem Shannon ** 32:45 So, you know, I so I get this book The Alchemist, and I said it changed my life. But the truth is that when he gave it to me, I'm like, huh, Tom doesn't know he's talking about I'm not reading this book. I just threw it down. I was not. Had no intentions to read it, just like I didn't read the book about the angels. I wasn't going to read this book either, and as time goes on, this book starts creeping into my life. My mom sent me a video. She didn't know I had quit this job. I stopped telling my parents, because they would freak out every time I quit. So she sent me an article, excuse me, a YouTube video of Oprah. And Oprah's interviewing super music producer Pharrell. And she's like, Pharrell, you know you you just wrote Happy. It's number one on the billboards. You've helped so many artists become number one Billboard chart toppers. Can you just tell our audience about one book, The One book that changed your life? And he's like, Oprah, the one book that changed my life, was the alchemist. And I was like, oh, that's the book Tom gave me. I should read the book. I grab the book, I open it up, I'm like, Oh, I'll read it tomorrow. So I don't read the book. Then a couple weeks later, it's at the top of the Amazon charts. Then a couple weeks later it's at the top of New York Times bestseller list. Now this is a 3040, year old book, like, why are people still talking about this book? Now you thought you would have thought, with all those signs, I would have realized probably should read this book. I hadn't read it. So then I ended up moving to a new apartment. I had stuff everywhere, boxes everywhere, and my buddy was helping me move. And on my kitchen island, through all the junk, I see a book. Now, my boss had given me this copy of the alchemist. It was hard back, beautiful textures. Had illustrations inside. It was a had a sleeve on it's like a limited edition book. Was really nice. The book on my counter was not that okay. It was tattered. It was paperback. It was it had a $2.99 discount sticker on it, but it was the alchemist. And I look at it, and I start freaking out, and I had that same feeling I had that night when I stopped taking the drugs, and I had this spiritual experience. And I'm like nervous, because how. In the world of this book get in my apartment. It's not the book my boss gave me. Have I owned this book my entire life? How long has this book been with me? And I didn't know it. I had never heard of this book before, and I was so shocked by the fact that this book was in my house that I sat down and read it, cover to cover. And the alchemist, for those who don't know, is about a boy who has a dream about a treasure in Egypt, and he decides to pursue that dream. And early on in his journey, he meets a wise man that tells him that if he just follows the omens or the signs, that he will find his treasure. And I realized, as I read the book, I'm like, oh, not only is this book about omens and science, to follow your dreams, the book itself was an omen and sign for me to follow my dreams. And after I read this book, my mindset was fixated on me finding what I was truly passionate about and the ideas and the people that would lead me to live the life and to become the person that I always wanted to be. And it was with that mindset I get a phone call from my uncle, who's an engineer at NASA. He's telling me about a project he's working on for the Space Launch System, and he was going to use this adhesive that NASA had invented back in the 70s that was based off the feet of geckos to do his project. And since I had just moved and mounted my TV on the wall, I kept thinking, if I just had this adhesive, I could have saved myself a lot of time and energy by sticking my TV on the wall. And while I never stuck a TV to the wall, we did figure out a way to stick a tiny TV, a cell phone to a wall, and that's where the idea for the flip stick was born, a little device that goes on the back of your phone that allows you to mount your phone to a wall like a TV, but also allows you to mount it to be able to take selfies, to take pictures, to make Tiktok videos, all completely hands free with a washable, reusable, non toxic adhesive, and that journey of flip stick, just, man, that's what. It really got crazy.   Michael Hingson ** 37:09 So what basically happened you, you created it, and that's pretty cool, but you have to do something with   Akeem Shannon ** 37:20 it. Listen, that is so powerful, Michael, because so many people have ideas, right? How many of us have set in front of the TV we see something pop on? We said, Oh, I had that idea, but I'm a believer that ideas flow through the universe, and it's touching. A lot of people are having the same idea at the same time, but only one or two will actually act on it. And because I had read the Alchemist and I had realized, like, you gotta take action when you see the signs, I took it. So I start doing research, I start I create a prototype, I send it off to China. I'm like, Okay, I should probably get a patent. I need trademarks. I get on YouTube, I figure out how to do a patent, how to do a trademark, I get everything registered, and I didn't want to spend my own money on getting it produced, so I went to Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a pre order platform, and I actually set up pre orders for the product, made a video and a web page, and I ended up getting $15,000 in pre orders to start this business. And from there, I wish I could tell you things took off, but that's not what happened. If you haven't gotten ahead of how my story goes, that's not what happened. Instead, what happens is, after the $15,000 I get no sales zero. Okay, I created a website I would get one or two sales a month, and my product's only 10 bucks. So as you can imagine, I'm bleeding through my savings, but I had to rely on what I had already learned, right? I didn't really know Facebook marketing rep very well. You know, I couldn't do ads. I wasn't a social media star, but what I did know was in person sales. So I meet a couple of guys. They say, Hey, if you want help, we'll help you. And we decide to break into a festival and walk around and just pitch people this little idea called a flip stick. And that first day, we made 100 bucks, and the second day we went back again we made 130 bucks. And then we're like, we gotta find another festival, but this time we'll actually pay to be at the festival. That next festival, we made like, 400 then 500 then I was like, Okay, well, how do we have a festival every day where I can sell in person? The answer was the mall. Now, this is 2018 no one would advise you to go and set up a booth in the mall, but it's all I knew, and so I had to lean into what my expertise was. Since I didn't have a lot of funding, I didn't have a lot of connections. I just had to rely on my own understanding. You know, I wish I could say I just went in like a bull in a china shop to the mall, but I didn't. I had a panic attack, and I was terrified because the mall rent was they quoted me $7,000 and I've only made like, six. 16 grand in the lifetime of the business, and they wanted seven grand for two months. And I literally, Michael had to have my mom walk with me into the office at the mall to sign the lease paperwork, and she talked them in to to give it to me for only $5,000 she's like my son has a business, and he wants to do this, but he's afraid to do this because it's so expensive, and if you give him a discount, I promise he'll pay you. I felt like a little kid, but you know what? I needed it because I was so afraid to take that next step is a big step is a big risk and a big investment that had to be made. And I'm so grateful that my parents, and particularly my mother, was like, Look, you can do this, and you gotta go for it. You just have to do it, and you can't let fear stop you from chasing after your dreams. And that's exactly what they talked about in the alchemist there were so many times where the boy got stuck and wasn't moving forward, and he had to face his fears, to take the next step and go further. And I was at one of those points in my life, and man, I'm so glad my mom did that, because in the first in those two months that we were at the mall, made $30,000.02 months brand new business, a $10 item. So   Michael Hingson ** 41:24 why, why did that happen? What? What was it about the flip stick that made so many people buy it? Or what? What did you do that made so many people feel that they should buy it?   Akeem Shannon ** 41:36 I was desperate. I just I had to make it work. I had no choice. So when I got into the mall, you know, I come in, I owe 2500 bucks to the mall right right away. So I got to make this money back that I've put on my credit card. And so literally, every single person that walked by, have you heard about flip stick? Have you heard about flip stick? And I would show them. I put it on their phone, I'd stick it to a wall, I'd show what it could do, and I just lean on what I knew, right? I asked questions, right? I uncovered problems that they had, and then I presented the flip stick as a solution to those problems. And so I said, Hey, do you take pictures? You know, sometimes we have to ask someone to take a picture on vacation. Well, when you go on your vacation, you're in Europe. You don't want somebody running away with your phone and stealing your phone. You need a flip stick. You can stick it to the wall, take the picture of you and your family yourself. So I kept coming up with all these solutions for people after I got them to stop and listen for a second, and slowly but surely, they started buying. And the thing is, some people bought it because they really love the flip stick. But to be honest, a lot of them bought it because they admired that I was out here hustling, trying to make something happen, and they just wanted to be a part of the story. They're like, I don't even want the flip stick, but I want to see you succeed. You're working really hard, and I want to help you. So I'll take five of them, I'm going to make them stocking stuffers. And you know, it was, it was just, man, it was just so much love and support from people who just wanted to see me succeed.   Michael Hingson ** 43:11 So in two months, you made $30,000 and that's pretty cool, but still, that's not a lot as far as growing a company. So what did you then do? So   Akeem Shannon ** 43:22 then I had to figure out what was next, right and right. I knew I could only I was working 12 hour days at the mall, right? $15,000 a month. Ain't bad, but I can't do that forever. Those are our long, hard hours. Yeah, so I decided I want to be on Shark Tank. I'm like, I need an investor. I need someone to come in and really turn this into a company. So I apply to be I go to Vegas to CES Consumer Electronics Show. Apply to be on Shark Tank. I get through the first round, 40,000 people apply for Shark Tank every year. And I got past the first round to the second to the third, to the fourth. It gets down from 40,000 people down to the final 200 and they're going to select 120 people out of the final 200 to actually film. And I just knew I'm like, I've been following the omens. I've been listening to the signs. I've I they love my pitch. I'm going to be on Shark Tank. This is 2019 I just knew it. I felt so confident, and they called me, and they're like a king, you're not going to be on Shark Tank. Why? And I was oh, I was so sad. I remember exactly where I was. I was on the sidewalk. I can point you to the square. I was hurt because I put all my eggs in one basket and I didn't know what to do next. But just like in the past, when I faced objection and failure, I knew I couldn't give up, so I gave myself a week to cry and to be upset, and then I said, I gotta find someone else. If I can't have a shark as my celebrity investor, I'll find someone else. And it and it just so happened that's a long story. I'm really shorting it down, but it. Through a series of events, I end up uncovering that there is an event called the revolt, the revolt Summit. And this was event that was being thrown by billionaire rapper Sean Diddy Combs. And it was an event for people who are interested in getting into the music industry, but they were going to have a pitch competition for businesses. So I say, Great, I'll go. I'll pitch my business and I'll get an investment. So I buy the tickets, get the airline tickets, rental car, all that stuff. It was in Atlanta, and I find out the pitch competitions closed, but the tickets are refundable, so your boy had to figure something out. Turns out there was a music competition. And I said, Well, you know, I don't want a record deal, but I took music appreciation, you know, I was in jazz lab band. I'll just write a rap and pitch my business in the rap. Now, you know, I don't think you would get an A if you told your teacher, that's your business plan, but it was all I had. It's what I went and did. And to be honest, I didn't tell anyone about the plan, because I understand that if I told someone, it sounds ridiculous and it sounds far fetched, but I believed in myself, and I my mentality at that time, my mindset, I was meditating. I was believing in law of attraction. I said, I'm going to make this happen for me. I meant to be here. There's all the signs of pointing that I need to go here. So I write the rap, I go to Atlanta, I do the rap. They love it. I get to the top five people. I'm going to be able to get on stage in front of DJ, Khaled, in front of Diddy and all these music producers. And I get disqualified from the competition because they say you're not a real rapper, a king. You don't want a record deal. You want a business deal. I said, What's the difference? They they thought, they thought there was a difference. They disagreed. So they're like, you're not going to get on stage, you're not going to be able to rap in front of the celebrities. You're done. But my mindset was one that says, No, I'm not done. I'm here for a reason, and I'm gonna make it happen. So during the comedy show, which was right before the final music competition, I stand up, I hold my products up in the air, and the comedian looks at me, and he must have sensed the desperation in my my persona, because he's like, man, bro, what are you trying to sell me? And I go full pitch mode. I tell him what it does, where he can stick it, how he can take Tiktok videos and and watch TV. And he starts making jokes, and he's making very lewd jokes about where you can stick the flip stick. And the crowd is laughing, and the whole show ends up do well, because now everyone wants to come to the stage and talk about their business. And eventually he invites me. This is DC young flies the comedian. He's a pretty large comedian, and he invites me on stage, and he lets me do my rap during his set. And the crowd goes nuts. And the same woman who disqualified me from the music competition, Whis me up, takes me backstage. I get to meet Danny and DJ Khaled, and I'm meeting the CEO of all the companies and the sponsor executives AT and T was the sponsor I make a phone accessory. This amazing experience happens. And ultimately, they would invite me out to Los Angeles. They buy a ton of flip sticks to give away. And in LA I did the same thing again, but this time it was Snoop Dogg on the stage, and Snoop Dogg ends up loving the flip stick. And between Snoop Dogg and Diddy and revolt Summit, they they call a few people, and a producer from Shark Tank calls me up and says, Hey, we want you on the show. And that's how I was able to get on Shark Tank. And that was a transformative moment for our business, and it was what really propelled us to seven figures and beyond.   Michael Hingson ** 48:57 So you went on Shark Tank, you made your presentation, and did any of them go along and decide that they would would invest or consider investing?   Akeem Shannon ** 49:09 So actually, we got two offers, one from Mr. Wonderful right out the gate. There you go. It wasn't actually a Sharky offer. I thought he was going to hit me with, you know, I want 89% of your company, and I won 75 cents, royalty in perpetuity, forever throughout the universe. But he actually gave me exactly what I asked for. But I went to the shark tank for Lori, that's who I wanted, and I was committed to it. And eventually Mr. Wonderful realized that he got very upset, and he was like, when mister wonderful gives you an offer, you take it. Now I'm out. So then I had to go with Lori, and luckily, she realized that I really wanted to work with her. I had read her book prior to going. I knew exactly the language in which to speak with her, and and she ended up giving me an offer on the show. It was, it was 20, it was $100,000 For 25% of my business, $400,000 valuation on my business. And, you know, I left the Shark Tank, I was so excited and just knew the future was bright. And as we you know, this is 2020 now it's pandemic time. If I hadn't gone on Shark Tank, I probably would have went out of business in 2020 because we couldn't be in the mall. You know, online wasn't working, but luckily, we were on Shark Tank and and, and as it was leading up to getting on air, I realized that the deal had changed, and the deal that I was offering the tank was not going to be the deal that I was going to be able to close. And even as much as I wanted to work with Lori, it no longer felt like the right move to make. And I lean back on my gut feelings and the feelings that have in the in the past when I had made decisions about my business that were mistakes, and I felt that same way. And so I listened to that gut feeling and said, You know what, Lori, you know, I'm a big fan, and I wanted to work with you, but I just don't think this is the deal I want to take. And she was okay with it, and we both decided not to move forward. But when we aired on Shark Tank, I didn't have any money. I needed to produce product, and just the timing of everything was magical, because I just entered into a pitch competition, won the pitch competition, but hadn't received the money yet, so I had to call up the people and be like, Hey, I didn't tell you this, but I don't be a shark tank in 10 days. I need the money now. And they wired it to me, and I got ready for shark tank, and we bought all this inventory. I get a warehouse. I set everything up. We have a watch party, and it's 2020 it's like November, let's say November 7. And if you remember 20/21 week of November, it was election week, yeah. And they pre empted the episode by two hours. They pushed it back to do election coverage. And I'm like, Oh, I don't care who the President is going to be. No one knew who the President was yet. I said, I just want my episode on Shark Tank there. And so they pushed it back by two hours, and I was nervous, but I said, it's going to be okay. Everything's going to work out. I know the omens. I know I didn't read the alchemist for nothing. There's no way that I got on Shark Tank and the universe that God is going to take this away from me. No way. So the episode comes on and they say, right before the episode, hey, if there's an announcement and we find out there's some big news, we're going to preempt Shark Tank. Episode comes on. Everything's going smoothly. All the people are going through. Turns out I'm the last person on the episode. It comes out the same rap I did for Diddy. They had me do on Shark Tank. So I come out, I'm rapping. Everyone's excited. People are cheering. You know, we're just so excited. I'm on national television. I was a college dropout a few years ago. Now I'm on national television, and right as I get into the meat of my pitch, about two minutes in, We interrupt this regularly scheduled programming to bring a message from Joe Biden, art sank to the floor. I couldn't believe that. I was devastated. It was the hardest night of my life. So what happened? Cuz after all of this work and all of this effort, it felt like it got taken away from me. It was so unfair. But what would end up happening is I kept that mindset, it's not over. This is not the end. I can make something of this. And for the first time in the history of Shark Tank, they re aired an episode I called the produce, the executive producer. I said, this wasn't fair. He said, Hey, you are you signed a waiver that says you knew this could happen. I said, I know, but it's just not fair. And he decided to re air the episode. And so not only did we air the first time, and people bought flip sticks the first time because they wanted to know what happened. How did he get why did he get cut off, but then they bought it the second time, and in that first airing, even though it got preempted, people only saw the first, you know, 120 seconds of my pitch. We still sold more in the next 24 hours that we had sold in the past two and a half years, and it just changed the trajectory of the entire business. And I'll fast forward a little bit through this just so we can, you know, get to any other things you want to talk about, but we would end up going on to get into Target and Best Buy AT and T T Mobile. I would raise capital from investors, raise over seven figures from investors. They would help propel the business even further. We get on the Today Show QVC, home shopping network was always a dream of mine to get on. I thought that dream was going to be dead because I didn't close my deal with Lori, who's the queen of QVC. But even still, I get on QVC multiple times. We're doing six figure sales in eight minutes. I mean, it was just this incredible journey of explosive growth. Got us this award from Inc five, Inc Magazine, we were one of the top 50 fastest growing consumer product brands through 2022 we got that award last year. And man, you know, it is just been an absolute whirlwind of an experience, and one that I wouldn't trade for the world.   Michael Hingson ** 55:23 What a cool story. And I think one of the questions that I would ask is, okay with all of that, you've had several challenges, some you created yourself as you look back on it, yeah, you know. You know, I can agree with me, what have you learned? Definitely. What have you learned?   Akeem Shannon ** 55:46 Well, number one, look, never give up. Some things don't work out right. And if, and if you go after what everything you got, and it doesn't work out, it wasn't for you, but it doesn't mean give up, continue to pursue your dreams and your passions keep going, because as long as when you fail, you don't give up, you have the opportunity to level up. And as I continue to level up, that became more ingrained inside of me. Number two is Don't bottle it up like look, we're humans. We have emotions. We have anxieties and depressions. It's just human nature. You don't have to run from it or hide from it or pretend that it doesn't exist. Embrace it and understand that these are all seasons. Once you conquer one thing and you think you're okay, something else will come along, and you will continue to evolve, continue to evolve over the course of your life, you're never going to stop learning. So you're always going to face these walls. I learned something from a motivational speaker who I love, Jim Rohn, and he talked about how that imagine being a farmer, and you just got flopped on this planet. It's the beginning of spring. You plant all these crops, they grow. You're making all this money. Everything is roses. It's summertime, it's fall, you're harvesting. It's amazing. And then winter hits. This the first winter you've ever experienced, and it's horrible. Nothing grows grounds frozen solid. You're not making any money. You think you're going to starve to death. Oh, he's like but here's the thing, every farmer knows, that after winter comes spring, spring. And so many of us move through our lives thinking that the winter is the end. We're going to be in winter for the rest of our lives, and the sad truth is, a lot of us spend our entire lives in that winter. And I learned, and I want everyone to understand that, look, winter will come after fall. It will happen. But after winter comes spring, if you choose for it to be. And so every time I hit a winter now, I hit a spring, and I get prepared for the next chapter of my life and understand, hey, this is just a season, and it's a roller coaster ride. It's up, it is down, but the momentum that got me to the bottom of the hill will carry me back up to the top of the next   Michael Hingson ** 58:24 so what do your parents think about all this?   Akeem Shannon ** 58:28 Oh, man, let me so. So, you know, even up until a couple years ago, my mom's like, well, when are you going to go back to school? So I remember this is, this is summer last year, and I say, hey mom, we we need to go back up. We need to go to Washington, DC, in in June for something. And she's like, well, what's going on? I said, we gotta go. I was like, I'm getting the I got something going on, event, a gala in DC. And in summer of last year I go back up to Washington, DC, which is where Howard University is, right. I get there, I'm walking back on my old campus, where I had the biggest failure of my life, something that I thought I could never recover from. But this time I was in Washington, DC because the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History had heard my story and saw my product, and they were running an exhibit on the history of cell phones, and they wanted to put my story and my product in that exhibit, and I got to take my mother into the halls of the Smithsonian and we're Sitting next to the woman that created text messages. Okay? And we're sitting next to the man who runs Qualcomm makes all the chips in every cell phone you've ever bought. And then there's me, and I'm like, I think I'm at the wrong table, but to see the beaming smile. On my mom's face, she wouldn't stop talking to people. I'm like, Mom, you have got to stop talking to these folks. Okay, everybody. Don't want to talk to you. But man, the pride that she had on her face, it was, it was, it was a miracle, because how is it that, you know, 15 years, 15 some odd years, you know, coming up 14 years after this massive failure in this city that meant so much to me, here I am back again, and I'm on top of the world. It was incredible, and it was just so special. I gotta take my mother and my father and they got to see their son back in this city, where they had to come and pick up all his stuff and take all of his stuff from college, leaving in shame, and here we were back again, but this time, you know, we're sitting with some titans of industry and me, because people just happen to like my story, and they thought for the kids that came to see this exhibit, Everyone's not going to be the inventor, right? Or the inventor of a cell phone screen or radio towers or radio signals. Everyone's not going to be that. But a flip stick, you could do that. That's That's you, that's possible. And so they put my story in here with all these incredible individuals, and it was just it, man. It made me feel really good, and it made my parents so proud.   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:27 Well, um, that's pretty cool. So your dad got over all his disappointments as well,   Akeem Shannon ** 1:01:34 you know, he did. And I remember, this was a few years later, you know, he told me that night, when I came out to him, that they were disappointed. And that cut me so deep. And I remember years later, maybe like three or four years I told him I wasn't feeling good one day, and I said, Are you disappointed in me? And he's like, why would you think I was disappointed in you? And I was like, because you told me, yeah, you said disappointed. And he's like, I'm going to disappoint it. I said, Well, that's what she said. And he's like, son, I'm not disappointing you. I'm proud of you. This was, this was right, as I had started my business, you know, flip stick, you know, we hadn't been on Shark Tank or any of that stuff yet. He was actually working for me for free in the mall. On my day off, my parents would rotate between giving me and my two employees a day off in the mall because we were working such long hours, and they worked for free. And I just asked him if he was disappointed. He was like, of course, I'm not disappointed. And, you know, I think sometimes for parents, they don't realize their kids absorb everything, and we hear everything, and we take everything so personally and they, you know, as a parent, I think you assume like, of course, my kid knows I love him. I sacrificed everything for them to be here. But you know, we are,

In this episode of PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, Sasha closes out the year with photographer Keisha Scarville. Keisha and Sasha talk about her book, lick of tongue rub of finger on soft wound (MACK), and Keisha's personal and unique use of archival imagery. Keisha and Sasha also discuss the ways in which Keisha has moved away from thinking of projects as discreet bodies of work, choosing instead, a much more holistic approach. https://keishascarville.com/home.html ||| https://www.mackbooks.us/products/lick-of-tongue-rub-of-finger-on-soft-wound-br-keisha-scarville Keisha Scarville (b. Brooklyn, NY; lives Brooklyn, NY) weaves together themes dealing with loss, latencies and the elusive body. Her work has been widely exhibited, including the Studio Museum of Harlem, Huxley-Parlour in London, ICA Philadelphia, Contact Gallery in Toronto, The Caribbean Cultural Center, Lightwork, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, and Higher Pictures. Recent group exhibitions include The Rose at the lumber room, Portland, Oregon (curated by Justine Kurland); If I Had a Hammer - Fotofest Biennial, Houston (2022); and All of Them Witches, Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles (2020, curated by Dan Nadel and Laurie Simmons). Her work is held in the collections of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Yale University Art Gallery, the George Eastman House, Denver Museum of Art, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. She has participated in residencies at Lightwork, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, WOPHA, Baxter Street CCNY, and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. In addition, her work has appeared in publications including Vice, Small Axe, and The New York Times where her work has also received critical review. She is a recipient of the 2023 Creator Lab Photo Fund and awarded the inaugural Saltzman Prize in Photography earlier this year. She is currently a Visiting Professor in the Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies at Harvard University and a faculty member at Parsons School of Design in New York. Her first book, lick of tongue rub of finger on soft wound, was published by MACK and shortlisted in the 2023 Aperture/Paris Photobook Awards. This podcast is sponsored by picturehouse + thesmalldarkroom. https://phtsdr.com

For centuries, the Hope Diamond has haunted history with its timeless beauty and its sinister legends. Over the years, it fell into ownership of kings, queens, socialites, and celebrity jewelers, many of whom were supposedly touched by its curse, and met tragic fates. While the diamond is now safely locked away at the Smithsonian Museum in D.C., there are ancient legends that say diamonds do hold mysterious powers… could the Hope Diamond be one of them? For a full list of sources, please visit: sosupernaturalpodcast.com/mystical-the-curse-of-the-hope-diamond/ So Supernatural is an audiochuck and Crime House production. Find us on social!Instagram: @sosupernatualpodTwitter: @_sosupernaturalFacebook: /sosupernaturalpod

In this end-of-year supplementary material, we unleash the hounds of war, battle through the discourse, and emerge alive but bloody and battered on the other side. Enlist now and join the fight.Supplementary Material 2000:00 Introduction and Ethnographic Insights01:38 Matt's Observations from Washington DC05:50 Smithsonian Museums and Star Wars Memorabilia07:48 Lego Creations and Gacha Collectibles12:13 Social Media and Blue Sky 'Culture'13:29 Matt's Contribution: Eric Weinstein's UFO Speculations21:21 Graham Linehan, Andrew Doyle, Jordan Peterson & Recognising Past Errors23:18 Jordan Peterson's Reflections on Vaccination28:59 Huberman's Upcoming Vaccine Series30:52 Taylor Lorenz and Stochastic Terrorism32:31 The Hypocrisy of Glorifying Violence36:29 The Problem with Political Violence43:48 Tim Kennedy's Exaggerated Military Stories55:09 Tim Kennedy's Response to Criticism01:07:37 Prebunking Criticisms01:17:20 Shane Smith at Vice is NOT A CONSPIRACY GUY01:21:27 Final Thoughts on Populism and Vibes-Based Reasoning01:25:18 OutroThe full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 26 mins).Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurusSources Jordan Peterson: Europe Imploding | Andrew Doyle & Graham Linehan | EP 506Tim Kennedy: Setting the Record StraightPiers Morgan Uncensored: “Why The F*CK Are You Laughing?!” CEO Murder Arrest & Daniel Penny NOT GUILTYThe AntiHero Podcast: Ep 101: Tim Kennedy: The Book Of LiesValhalla VFT: Green Berets, Delta Force & Navy SEAL DENOUNCE Tim Kennedy Stolen Valor LIES

Episode Page The latest episode of the Ecosystem Member podcast is with the amazing interdisciplinary artist and environmental activist, Jenny Kendler. Many of you listening are probably familiar with Kendler's work thanks to her most recent solo project on Governors Island being reviewed and featured on the front page of The New York Times. The exhibition included nine sculptures that used materials from the ocean itself to raise awareness about endangered marine ecosystems. In the episode we talk about the piece “Other of Pearl”, which is made up of 12 oyster half shells where the oyster shell was grown around a bio-based figures of Greek and Roman antiquities. The exhibition is a perfect example of Kendler's work, which aims decenter the human to make space for the full biodiversity of Earth. Some of the other pieces we discuss include 'Birds Watching', which inverts the gaze of birdwatching using the eyes of endangered and/or threatened birds due to climate change, and 'Music for Elephants', which uses a player piano with ivory keys playing music created from data on elephant poaching that is driven by the ivory trade. As a podcast that aims to examine the relationship humans have with nature and the more-than-human world, her work is an incredible example of how art can ask big questions about that relationship. While the conversation focuses on her artistic work - which has been shown around the world at London's Hayward Gallery, Storm King Art Center, the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the MCA Chicago and public locations as diverse as urban riverwalks, remote deserts and tropical forests - we also talk about her own relationship with nature and the more-than-human world. The topic being particularly relevant as she was just named an Artistic Fellow for the Center for Humans and Nature after spending 10 years as the artist-in-residence with the environmental non-profit NRDC, the Natural Resources Defense Council. She also sits on boards for 350.org and artist residency ACRE, and is a co-founder of Artists Commit, an artist-led effort to raise climate-consciousness in the art world. We talk a lot about specific pieces in this episode, so make sure to visit the podcast episode page at ecosystemmember.com/podcast, or watch the episode on Spotify or YouTube to see the work we're discussing. Thanks to Jenny for taking time to chat openly about her work and background, and thanks to you for listening. If you enjoy this episode, please make sure to subscribe on your preferred podcast platform and if you are so inclined leave us a five star review. These are signals to the platform that the podcast has value and increases its visibility to potential listeners. Links Jenny Kendler's Website Jenny Kendler's Instagram Jenny Kendler in The New York Times Thomas Nagel / What is it like to be a bat? Billion Oyster Project Dr Ayana Elizabeth Johnson's Climate Action Venn

Andrew Roth concludes the multi-episode arc about the Wright Brothers and their flying machine! This episode gives a brief overview of the brothers' later years, what they further accomplished, and what rivalries and competition developed after their first flight. Here is a complete list of the Sources quoted and paraphrased by the Andrew Roth: Birdmen: The Wright Brothers, Glenn Curtis, and the Battle to Control the Skies; The Wright Brothers by David McCullough; Articles written on the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Museum; and An Article written on the Glenn Curtis Museum website.

In 1992, the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. acquired a mysterious artifact with unclear origins known as the Crystal Skull. It was the size of an average human skull, made of milky white quartz, but more importantly, it was said to hold supernatural powers and ancient wisdom. And it wasn't the only one… Those who've come into contact with the skulls have had prophetic visions, disturbing dreams and have even encountered deadly curses – but to this day, no one knows who made the skulls, or why.  For a full list of sources, please visit: sosupernaturalpodcast.com/mystical-crystal-skulls So Supernatural is an audiochuck and Crime House production. Find us on social!Instagram: @sosupernatualpodTwitter: @_sosupernaturalFacebook: /sosupernaturalpod

Our family is very close, and I've been providing my kids' civic education their entire lives. They have stood where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spent his last moments before his assassination in the Lorraine Motel. They've traced the steps of slaves on plantations in South Carolina. They've explored almost every single Smithsonian Museum and civil rights monument and landmark. I wanted to put their feet there. Immerse them in history and reality. Now, they are living through history themselves. One is a 20 year old white man. The other is an 18 year old trans man. Hear the differences in their reality yourself.We have a responsibility to this generation, the lost ones, the kids who fell through the cracks during Covid and are now being spit on by our politicians and made to be sacrificial lambs for their agendas. Let's listen, and really hear them. We must work with them to secure our collective futures. - - - -Just a reminder that you can financially support this project in a couple of ways:You can support the project on Patreon here: patreon.com/counterstorymediaYou can support the project on Substack here: counterstorymedia.substack.comUnder the umbrella of CounterStory Media, we have several existing projects:The Light at the Other Side- podcast and written word that is more general stories about life beyond traumaAdoptere- written word from the exclusive perspective of adoptees and birth mothers.Served- written word from the exclusive perspective of US military veteransDeconstructing Dogma- written word from those exploring their spiritual journey during or after leaving an organized religionNew: Our Appalachian Spirit: an upcoming charity anthology sharing the works of Appalachian authors, poets, and artists.Thank you so much for joining me, and I hope you enjoy this season of The Light at the Other Side.~m

Steve, McNew, Miss Beka Sue, Jeff and Kathy discuss what bourbon memorabilia they would seek out to complete a bourbon exhibit for the Smithsonian. TBD music is by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com).   Important Links: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theabvnetwork Our Events Page: bourbonpalooza.com Check us out at: abvnetwork.com. The ABV Barrel Shop: abvbarrelshop.com   Join the revolution by adding #ABVNetworkCrew to your profile on social media.

durée : 00:02:40 - L'Humeur du matin par Guillaume Erner - par : Guillaume Erner - Ce matin, Guillaume Erner raconte son expédition au musée d'histoire naturelle de Washington, le Smithsonian Museum. Il nous explique à quel point les armes sont présentes, non seulement dans les rues, mais aussi dans les tableaux de l'histoire américaine. - réalisation : Félicie Faugère

1/2: #ANT-FARMiNG: The ant colony that farms and prospers on fungi created out of the eco collapse of 66 million years ago. Ted Schultz, Smithsonian Museum. David Livingston, SpaceShow.com    The coevolution of fungus-ant agriculture. Science, 386(6717), 105-109. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adn7179  2922 American Museum of Natural History

2/2: #ANT-FARMiNG: The ant colony that farms and prospers on fungi created out of the eco collapse of 66 million years ago. Ted Schultz, Smithsonian Museum. David Livingston, SpaceShow.com    The coevolution of fungus-ant agriculture. Science, 386(6717), 105-109. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adn7179  1967 T-Rex

GOOD EVENING: The show begins in Afghanistan where Al Qaeda dominates many provinces with training camps and safe houses... 1900 Khyber Road CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR FIRST HOUR 9:00-9:15 #AFGHANISTAN: Trump and Biden administrations and abandonment. Bill Roggio, FDD 9:15-9:30 #AFRICA/SYRIA: Ungoverned spaces and Al Qaeda and ISIS 9:30-9:45 #UKRAINE: Russia advances. John Hardie, FDD; Bill Roggio, FDD 9:45-10:00 #UKRAINE: Credible reports of North Korean combat troops in Russia. John Hardie, FDD; Bill Roggio, FDD SECOND HOUR 10:00-10:15 1/2: #IRAN: After the IDF strike: Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis. Joe Truzman, FDD; Bill Roggio, FDD 10:15-10:30 2/2: #IRAN: After the IDF strike: Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis. Joe Truzman, FDD; Bill Roggio, FDD 10:30-10:45 #TAIWAN: Arc blockade. Stephen Yates, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation; Gordon Chang, Gatestone, Newsweek, The Hill 10:45-11:00 #CANADA: No comment from Trudeau re the North Korean combat troops to Ukraine. Charles Burton, senior fellow at Sinopsis THIRD HOUR 11:00-11:15 1/2: #DEMOCRACY: Debating the strengths and mysteries of the US Constitution. Peter Berkowitz, Hoover Institution 11:15-11:30 2/2: #DEMOCRACY: Debating the strengths and mysteries of the US Constitution. Peter Berkowitz, Hoover Institution 11:30-11:45 1/2: #USNAVY: Preparing for confrontation with the PRC and its Axis Allies & What must be done on November 6th. Jerry Hendrix, Sagamore Institute 11:45-12:00 2/2: #USNAVY: Preparing for confrontation with the PRC and its Axis Allies & What must be done on November 6th. Jerry Hendrix, Sagamore Institute FOURTH HOUR 12:00-12:15 1/2: #ANT-FARMING: The ant colony that farms and prospers on fungi created out of the eco collapse of 66 million years ago. Ted Schultz, Smithsonian Museum; David Livingston, SpaceShow.com 12:15-12:30 2/2: #ANT-FARMING: The ant colony that farms and prospers on fungi created out of the eco collapse of 66 million years ago. Ted Schultz, Smithsonian Museum; David Livingston, SpaceShow.com 12:30-12:45 #NewWorldReport: Argentina names the Hezbollah agent responsible for the 1992 and 1994 mass murders of Jewish citizens of Argentina. Joseph Humire @JMHumire @SecureFreeSoc; Ernesto Araujo, Former Foreign Minister Republic of Brazil 12:45-1:00am #NewWorldReport: Reported assassination attempt on Evo Morales. Joseph Humire @JMHumire @SecureFreeSoc; Ernesto Araujo, Former Foreign Minister Republic of Brazil

In episode 60, Julian and Michael talk about 1. the Smithsonian Museums in Washington DC. 2. Julian also tries to convince Michael of the joys of leasing a storage unit (or at least why so many Americans have one).Other Show NotesLearn more about how America's culture developed in Julian Bishop's High, Wide, and Handsome.Learn more about America's future in Julian's second book, Are We There Yet

In this special episode of ARTdusty, today's guest is a New York City-based poet, Anacaona Rocio Milagro. Anacaona has been writing poetry before most kids know how to write their own name. She obtained her MFA in Poetry from NYU's Poetry program in Paris and holds a Masters in Public Health from Columbia University, and a BA with a double major in Social Anthropology and Journalism/Creative Writing. Her poetry has been published in The BreakBeat Poets Latinext Anthology, Narrative Magazine, LitHub, Oh Dear Magazine, and Raising Mothers. Her “Nine Eleven Poem” is among the Smithsonian Museum's 9/11 archives.  In 2021 she released  “Stillmatic,” a spoken word/Hip-Hop/Jazz single, and in August 2024 she released her first full-length spoken word album, “To Make an Island of A Street Corner." Available on all streaming platforms.Check out her album and book here: https://bit.ly/to-make-an-islandFollow Anacaona Rocio Milagro @poet.anacaonaFollow Substantial Art & Music: https://bio.site/subartandmusic ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Seth takes a closer look at Trump backing out of a 60 Minutes interview while JD Vance brazenly lied about everything from health care to abortion to January 6.Then, Mariska Hargitay talks about Law & Order: SVU's record-breaking 26th season, her iconic Olivia Benson costume being on display in the Smithsonian Museum and Dick Wolf having the Law & Order theme song as his ringtone. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The National Museum of the American Latino established by Congress in 2020 doesn't have a building of its own yet. But it just unveiled something that helps establish its presence in the meantime. A new logo called The Iris. For more about the logo and the museum's progress generally, we turn to its director, Jorge Zamanillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The National Museum of the American Latino established by Congress in 2020 doesn't have a building of its own yet. But it just unveiled something that helps establish its presence in the meantime. A new logo called The Iris. For more about the logo and the museum's progress generally, we turn to its director, Jorge Zamanillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Curator of the Division of Culture and the Arts at the National Museum of American History, Dwight hobnobbed with many of the world's, most famous, entertainment stars. Escorting the ruby slippers to London in their own first-class plane seat was just one of Dwight's dream job duties.

Freedom and Equality: What Does it Mean to Be an American?The United States has long held a curious and ambivalent relationship with freedom. The American founding fathers learned much about freedom and equality from Native Americans, who lived in truly egalitarian societies, but later confined the original Americans to reservations. The founding ideals of the United States – liberty, equality, and natural rights, came largely from Native America. It was Chief Canasatego, the Onondaga chief of the great Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy, who originally gave the colonists the idea to unite, beseeching them to “Be like the Haudenosaunee, to never fall out with one another,” to be stronger together than apart. Our national motto comes from the Latin E Pluribus Unum (“From the many, one”) but we have never fully lived in accord with that slogan.  The political nation began with a beautiful document, The Declaration of Independence, which declared “All men are created equal,” but the writer of that document, Thomas Jefferson, owned 600 slaves, and by then slavery had already been practiced in the New World for more than 150 years. The young nation had Dutch, English, French, Spanish, German and other influences, and was dependent upon immigration to survive and thrive. Eventually, the whole world started to come to America, including immigrants from Asia, fueled by the West Coast Gold Rush of the mid-19th century. Then, came the backlash from those already here.  In 1882, President Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act into law, the first of many anti-Asian discrimination bills, followed by the Gentleman's Agreement of 1908, which limited Japanese immigration to the wives, children, and relatives of residents already living within the United States. It was not until 1952 that Japanese Americans could become US citizens, even as women and Native Americans achieved suffrage in 1920 and 1924, respectively.  The most egregious action ever taken by the US government against Japanese Americans occurred during WWII.  As many are aware, it was February of 1942 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, followed by subsequent orders that enforced the removal of all Japanese Americans from the West Coast to “relocation camps”.  What is lesser known is that the Department of Justice initiated pickup of 'enemy aliens' of Japanese descent on December 7, 1941, for eventual confinement in 4 government prison sites in New Mexico.The full consequences and ramifications of this sordid chapter of American history are still not openly discussed in mainstream circles. In New Mexico and elsewhere, our guests today have been educating the general public about what occurred and its relevance to today's outreach toward liberty and justice for all. We will discuss all this and more, on this edition of Circle for Original Thinking entitled "Freedom and Equality: What Does it Mean to Be an American?"Nikki Nojima Louis (originally Shirley Sadayo Nojima) is a second-generation (Nisei) Japanese American and childhood survivor of Camp Minidoka, Idaho. Her fourth birthday was on December 7, 1941, the day her father was taken by the FBI in Seattle, Washington, and held in DOJ camps in Lordsburg and Santa Fe from 1942-46.  Nikki grew up in Chicago, performed as a teenage dancer, was active in multicultural theater in the 1980s and 1990s as a writer, performer, and producer of projects on peace-and-justice and women's themes. In 1985, she wrote her first oral history play, Breakingthe Silence, to benefit the civil liberties trial of Gordon Hirabayashi. It continues to be performed. As a theatre artist, Nikki has received commissions from many sources, including the Smithsonian Museum, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom; NW Asian American Theatre, and Seattle Group Theatre, where she served as education director of its National Multicultural Playwrights Festival.  In 2002, at age 65, Nikki entered a Ph.D. program at Florida State University. Graduating at age 70, she traveled west for a three-month residency at the Santa Fe Art Institute and a teaching job at the University of New Mexico. Since 2014, Nikki has created living history programs on the Japanese American experience for the New Mexico Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). Her readers theater group, JACL Players, often collaborate with project CLOE (Confinement in the Land of Enchantment), which includes a traveling exhibit and community forums on New Mexico's WWII Japanese American prison camps. Nikki has co-produced an award-winning documentary, Community in Conflict: The Santa Fe Internment Camp Marker, with Bay Area director Claudia Katayanagi. Victor Masaru Yamada is Current Director of Confinement in Land of Enchantment project, about Japanese Americans confined in internment camps in New Mexico during WWII. Became director of the project during Phase III, setting up traveling exhibits promoting awareness of the history. Involved in giving presentations to international, national, state & local organizations. (Phases I / II planning & installation of historic markers, preparation of outreach publication, and development of website).    His family has 19th century roots in Hiroshima, Japan – His maternal grandparents moved to Seattle area in 1906 and his father moved to Seattle in 1919.  His parents became US citizens in 1954. Before then, his parents and siblings (three brothers and a sister) moved from Washington to eastern Oregon as part of government's ‘voluntary evacuation' program March 1942. Later in 1942, several of his family members were moved to the Minidoka Internment Camp. One of my uncles joined Army 442nd Unit and fought in European campaigns.

Tim See began working in clay while an art student at Onondaga Community College and completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics with Honors at Syracuse University in 2004. Tim's work has been shown at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C, the Everson Museum in Syracuse, NY, the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY, and, at Baltimore Clayworks in Maryland – as well as many other galleries and shows. The work has been recognized with awards every year since 2003. Social media has provided Tim many platforms to communicate with more than 11,000 potters nationally and internationally. Since 2007, Tim has produced 92 educational videos on pottery that have been viewed almost 2 million times and attracted more that 13,000 subscribers. http://ThePottersCast.com/1065

In the 78th episode of Perceived Value, host Sarah Rachel Brown takes listeners to the Penland School of Craft, where she's participating in their Winter Residency. Leading up to the residency, Sarah had heard from a few fellow artists attending, but overall, she had no idea who she would cross paths with. To her delight, the residency allowed her to meet many artists she's admired from afar. Among them is the guest for this episode, Lauren Kalman, who has been on Sarah's interview wishlist for some time. After sharing a few meals, Sarah asked for an interview.The two women sat down to discuss how Lauren unexpectedly got her first teaching position, the art of negotiation and why it's a crucial skill, how to sell work when your work is challenging to sell, and how an artist's work is not always representative of their personality.OUR GUESTLauren Kalman is a visual artist based in Detroit whose practice is rooted in craft, sculpture, video, photography, and performance. She completed her PhD in Practice-led Research from the School of Art and Design at the Australian National University. She earned an MFA in Art and Technology from Ohio State University and a BFA with a focus in Metals from Massachusetts College of Art.Her work has been featured in exhibitions at the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Museum of Arts and Design, Museum of Contemporary Craft, Cranbrook Art Museum, Contemporary Art Museum Houston, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Mint Museum, World Art Museum in Beijing, and the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris among others. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Françoise van den Bosch Foundation at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Detroit Institute of Art, Museum of Arts and Design, and the Korean Ceramics Foundation. In 2020 she received the Françoise van den Bosch Award for her career's impact on the jewelry field; in 2022, she received the Raphael Founders Prize in Glass from Contemporary for Craft; and in 2023 she was named a Kresge Arts in Detroit Fellow.She is a dedicated educator and is currently a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Wayne State University in Detroit.www.laurenkalman.comInstagram: @laurenkalmanFacebook: @LaurenKalmanArtDon't forget to Rate AND Review us on iTunes!SUPPORT PERCEIVED VALUE!www.patreon.com/perceivedvalueMORE WAYS TO SUPPORTInstagram + Facebook: @perceivedvalueInstagram: @sarahrachelbrownThe music you hear on Perceived Value is by the Seattle group Song Sparrow Research.All You Need to Know off of their album Sympathetic Buzz.Find them on Spotify!

Is there an organization for the exhibition field? A new initiative is picking up steam. The exhibition community in the US, some say, has recently gone from having “nearly one” professional organization — to none at all. That's because of the unexpected 2023 dissolution of NAME, the National Association for Museum Exhibition, a group within the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). But now a new effort is rising at SEGD, an international organization headquartered in the US. It takes the form of a PPG, or professional practice group, specific to exhibition practitioners. How can everyone in the field access professional development and mentorship? What is the role of networking in a professional community? Should there be better standards for the field?Cybelle Jones (CEO of SEGD) and the cofounders of the new PPG, Steven Rosen (President and Creative Director, Available Light), and George Mayer (Retired Vice President of Business Development, Kubik Maltbie), join host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “A New Home for the Exhibition Community.” Along the way: how listeners can get involved, the role of local meetups, and what a survey revealed that people in the field most urgently need.Talking Points:ElevateAdvocateEducateStandardizeSocializeCelebrate How to Listen:Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcastApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Everywhere: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bios: Cybelle Jones is CEO of SEGD, a multidisciplinary community creating experiences that connect people to place. SEGD is a non-profit member organization focusing on education, innovation and design excellence by designing more equitable, sustainable, and user-centric environments. Prior to joining SEGD, Cybelle led numerous acclaimed design projects during her 25+ year tenure as Principal of G&A, including the National WWII Museum, the International Spy Museum, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum. Cybelle is actively involved in various boards and has spoken on the field of experience design at AAM, the V&A, FIT, AIGA, AIA and MuseumNext. Steven Rosen, President and Creative Director, Available Light: Merging performance lighting techniques with traditional non-theatrical environments launched Steven's career and his founding of Available Light over 30 years ago. From Museum exhibits to immersive architecture to trade shows, the fun never stops—it helps that he works with some of the planet's most talented lighting aficionados. The originality and grand scale of Steven's award-winning designs are evident in many one-of-a-kind award-winning projects as: The Neural Climber interactive at the Franklin Institute, Ocean Hall for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the International Spy Museum in DC, and Chicago MSI's U-505. He is passionate about supporting the lighting community. George Mayer first joined Maltbie Associates in 1986 and was responsible for identifying new business opportunities, proposal writing, presentations, contract negotiation, and oversight of project management teams to ensure satisfactory fulfillment for permanent and traveling exhibits. From 2002 to 2009, George worked as the founding director of a new museum fabrication business for Art Guild, Inc., a nationally active trade show exhibits producer. In 2010, George rejoined Maltbie (now Kubik Maltbie, Inc.) as Vice President of Business Development. He retired from the firm in June of 2022.About MtM:Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Links for This Episode: SEGD:https://segd.org/ SEGD Membership:https://segd.org/join/ SEGD Professional Practice Groups:https://segd.org/resources/introducing-segd-professional-practice-groups/ SEGD PPG Unveiling at 2024 AAM:https://segd.org/news/segd-unveils-professional-practice-groups-at-american-alliance-of-museums-conference/ Cybelle:cybelle@segd.org Steven:steven@availablelight.com George:Gmayer029@gmail.com Links for MtM, the Podcast: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger alger@cgpartnersllc.com https://www.cgpartnersllc.com  Discover Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. Join hundreds of your peers with an ad-free quick one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, visitors, budgeting, content, and project management, to name just a few. (And a bonus: newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Subscribe here (and unsubscribe at any time):https://www.makingthemuseum.com 

Gallery Owner; Art Advisor to private clients and Fortune 500 companies; Attorney who worked for Sotheby's, The National Gallery of Art, and The Smithsonian Museum; and an Accredited Member of the American Society of Appraisers: Spalding Nix has an extraordinary resume that distinguishes him among the most qualified and experienced of all gallery owners. Representing a wide range of artists whose work spans genres and mediums, Spalding Nix Fine Art is an art-centric enterprise by which others can be measured in terms of the wide range of services and pieces offered, as well as Spalding's expertise, experience, and integrity. 

In 1909, a story appeared in a local newspaper claiming that two men from the Smithsonian Museum in Washington had made an unbelievable discovery - They had uncovered a series of hidden tunnels that stretched deep into the earth, filled with ancient treasures, mummified bodies and ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. So, what's the catch? They discovered all of this… inside of the Grand Canyon in ArizonaFollow us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTubeJoin our Secret Society Facebook CommunitySupport us on Patreon.com/ThisParanormalLife to get access to weekly bonus episodes!Buy Official TPL Merch! - thisparanormallife.com/storeIntro music by www.purple-planet.comEdited by Philip Shacklady Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can now WATCH this episode of the podcast over on our Youtube Channel or on Spotify!! Band of Brothers Episode 10, "Points," is a rollercoaster of emotions as Easy Company navigates the end of the war. We dive deep into the points system, the fall of the Eagles Nest, and the bittersweet transition to post-war life. From Nixon's future plans to the heartbreaking fates of beloved characters, this episode is a must-listen for fans of Band of Brothers, military history, and wartime drama. Join us as we unpack the complexities of war and its lasting impact. ​Homeward Bound: We discuss the failures of the Points system and how its affected members of Easy. ​Germany's Hidey Hole: We discuss Easy Company's mission to capture the Eagles Nest and Nixon's little reward.  ​Post-VE Day Struggles: We take a look at the darker side of the end of the war in this episode ​Getting Soft: Ben and Dylan say a tearful goodbye to the members of Easy Company Want to share your thoughts on the heartbreaking and heartwarming moments of Band of Brothers' final episode? Head over to our Instagram and website to join the conversation! Don't forget to share our podcast with your friends, subscribe, and leave a rating. Your support helps us keep the classic cocktails flowing! 
 Time Stamps: 00:00 - Dylan's Lovely Singing and Intro  00:51 - This episode gets dark  01:51 - Poor Shifty :( 03:56 - Leibgott goes Inglorious Basterds mode 06:24 - Tom Hardy's short time 06:57 - Grant shot by Friendly Fire  07:30 - The tragic passings of Bull, Luz, and Webster 09:27 - Grant shot by Friendly Fire (Continued) 11:43 - The wrap-ups and Ben's getting soft 14:55 - THEY DID THE INTERVIEW REVEALS  16:03 - SOBEL STILL SUCKS 17:35 - Nixon should be mad at his portrayal 22:10 - The Points System 27:10 - Was Winters trying to leave Easy? 29:32 - Winter is still That Guy though 30:19 - Dylan is also a big softy 31:05 - Ben's trip to the Smithsonian Museums  39:42 - They did a good job of making a Finale high stakes 41:08 - Our Favorite and Least Favorite Episodes 48:47 - What moments will stick with you? 53:16 - Dylan's Rating and Review of the Series 55:55 - Ben's Rating and Review of the Series 1:07:21 - Talking about the future of the podcast 1:10:50 - Outro 
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Kristina Logan makes unique and complex beads in intricate patterns whose sometimes knobby forms recall the remarkable eye beads made in ancient China. Yet Logan's style is purely contemporary, reflected in work that stands out for its originality, sophistication, and innovation. She is not only interested in beads as body adornment but also as decorative elements for boxes, candlesticks, goblets and teapots. Logan states: “Beads are part of my lifelong fascination with art and ornamentation. Glass beads form a historical thread, connecting people and cultures throughout our history.” In 2002, Logan was one of only four artists selected for exhibition in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery Invitational Four Discoveries in Craft. “Logan's beads exist in their own right as art… ,” writes Kenneth Trapp, Curator-in-Charge at the Renwick Gallery.  Articles about Logan's work have appeared in numerous publications including ORNAMENT magazine, GLASS magazine, Beadwork magazine, Bead & Button magazine, Lapidary Journal, and La Revue de la Céramique et du Verre. Her work has been collected by the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Renwick Gallery, The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Musée du Verre de Sars-Poteries, France. The artist served as president of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers from 1996 to 1998. Logan's work and desire to educate has been an inspiration for many glass beadmakers throughout the world. She travels extensively throughout the United States and Europe teaching workshops and lecturing on contemporary glass beads and jewelry at places such as The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass, UrbanGlass, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Penland School of Craft, Carlisle School of Glass Art, Millville, New Jersey, Musée-Atelier du Verre à Sars-Poteries in France, and Centro Studio Vetro and Abate Zanetti in Venice, Italy. The Corning Museum of Glass produced a DVD video in 2009 of Logan's flamework beadmaking as part of their Master Class Series. An excerpt and full version of the video is available on YouTube and on Logan's website. https://www.kristinalogan.com/videos Having taught at The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass earlier this year, Logan is now focusing on several projects that have been incubating over the years, including casting small vessels and encrusting them with beads and metal – some that stand alone individually and also as a group of 12 vessels that represent a personal calendar or living reliquary. She also continues working on a new collection of beads centric necklaces. And most importantly, Logan is documenting more of her work on YouTube. She says: “I would like to document with videos more of what I do. I am not ready to teach online or offer specific tutorials, but I would like to use YouTube as a way to share footage from my studio. I am thinking about this as an extension of my creative process–I love being behind a camera. I love being a maker, and I have been so fortunate to learn from others over the years. I want to be part of what I see as a cycle of learning and giving back. As I age, I also think about how I would like to document what I do for my kids and future artists.   “I have been fortunate enough to have made a living at what I do, and I would like to be honest about how I have done that.”  

The guest on this episode of rootbound is Josh Felton. First, Steve visits a special tree on the National Mall but doesn't spoil why it's so special. Then Josh talks about the family that contains Spanish Moss, Pineapple and a very special carnivorous (maybe) air plant. Finally, Steve visits another very special tree, this time near the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.Show Notes!Episode 062: Mullein and Cherry LaurelEpisode 043: Spanish Moss and Frost AsterEncyclopaedia of BromeliadsCatopsis berteronianaTrioecyEating Elm SamarasThe Jefferson ElmHow a Historic Smithsonian Elm Thrives, Over 150 Years After its PlantingYou've heard of the Witness Protection Program, but have you heard of the Witness Tree Protection Program?Elms and Dutch Elm Disease: A Quick OverviewJosh Felton on the webSupport rootbound

Inspired by my recent experience at the Smithsonian Museum's Folklife Festival, which was honoring the Indigenous Voices of the Americas,an event at which all of us were invited to participate, learn and act as rightful descendants of all of those who lived on these lands centuries before us, we continue our journey around the Medicine Wheel. Today, we visit the East totem, Eagle, led by her screeching calls and her panoramic vision. Then we are called to the South by the howls of the inspiring and highly intelligent wolf, and explore their mythology. And we complete the circle of life by arriving at the West, where we find the Bear, an archaic icon of brutal force and persistent survival instincts. Come learn about these totems and follow us as we continue to discover the magic of the Medicine Wheel.

Both the U.S. national anthem and the flag that inspired the song are major legacies of the War of 1812 when the United States and its allies fought against the United Kingdom to preserve the young country. In September of 1814, British forces attacked Fort McHenry in Baltimore and failed. Watching the battle was Francis Scott Key who was so inspired by the defense of the city and a gigantic forty foot American flag draped over the garrison that he penned the lyrics to the nation's national anthem. FOX's Tonya J. Powers speaks with Jennifer Jones, Curator and Project Director at the Smithsonian Museum's Division of Military and Society, who takes us through the history of these symbols of the United States and how they are cared for. Click Here To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode features professional calligrapher, author, and educator Margaret Shepherd. Throughout her 55-year career, Margaret's calligraphy is currently in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum, the Rare Books Department of the Boston Public Library, along with freelance work for multiple colleges and law firms. She has taught workshops and given live calligraphy demonstrations to artists across the world, stemming from Boston all the way to Uzbekistan. Margaret has written 20 calligraphy books in her lifelong career and has a lot of information behind what it takes to make a career out of lettering. This interview is like talking with my grandmother about the stories of her early art career. Even though I have no interest in switching from murals to calligraphy, Margaret's advice made a few light bulbs go off in my head of ways to incorporate lettering even more into niche painting. For example, she talks about lettering envelopes for weddings, which would be a great addition for wedding portrait painters to add as a package deal. There's so much value in talking with artists who have made a FULL career in the arts because they've seen it all. I'd like to have a cup of tea with Margaret one day to chat more about some of the ways she's made a name for herself in her niche, written so many books, and overall has had a very fulfilling career with calligraphy. Let me know what you think of this week's episode with Margaret Shepherd. Margaret's website: https://margaretshepherd.comMargaret's new book: Learn American Calligraphy

AlexAnna Salmon is President of the Igiugig Village Council. She is of Yup'ik and Aleut descent and was raised in the village of Igiugig, Alaska.In 2008, AlexAnna graduated from Dartmouth College with a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Native American Studies and Anthropology. After graduating, she returned to work for the Igiugig Tribal Village Council where she was elected President and, until 2016, also held the role of Administrator. AlexAnna serves as a member of the Igiugig Native Corporation board, which is responsible for the stewardship of 66,000 tribal acres. She also serves on the Nilavena Tribal Health Consortium and is a member of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History's Advisory Board. She received her Master's Degree in Rural Development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2021.In her work as President of the Igiugig Village Council, AlexAnna has been a driving force behind the community's efforts to generate its own energy from renewable sources. In 2015, she was invited to President Obama's roundtable discussion with Alaska Native leaders and was praised by Sen. Dan Sullivan in 2017 on the Senate floor for helping strengthen her community and making it an incredible place to live. AlexAnna loves raising her kids in the subsistence way of life, revitalizing Indigenous languages, and traveling.This episode, Mark talks with AlexAnna about what tribal village life is like in remote Alaska, AlexAnna's father's legacy, and how she is manifesting it, energy, health care, and food independence in wilderness, Alaska.Save What You Love with Mark Titus:⁣Produced: Emilie FirnEdited: Patrick Troll⁣Music: Whiskey Class⁣Instagram: @savewhatyoulovepodcastWebsite: savewhatyoulove.evaswild.comSupport wild salmon at evaswild.com

On this episode of Our American Stories, Gettysburg National Park Service Ranger Matt Atkinson tells the story of the Civil War general who created the "temporary insanity" plea, got his leg shot off by General Longstreet, and helped form the Gettysburg National Military Park—Dan Sickles. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.